POE: ASTUDY 


•     •'.«»••.•.*•••       •      *      "    "• 

•  •    *  *  •  «*  r  •-*•    •  **. 


EDGAR  A.  POE 

A  STUDY 


By 
JOHN  W.  ROBERTSON,  M.  D. 


SAN  FRANCISCO 

PRINTED  BY  BRUCE  BROUGH 

1921 


Copyright  1921 

by 
John  W.  Robertson 


TO  MY  WIFE 

WHO  FOR  THIRTY  YEARS  HAS  ENJOYED  WITH  ME 
MY  BOOK  COLLECTING  AND  MY  BOOK  COLLECTION 


CONTENTS 

POE  :  A  PSYCHOPATHIC  STUDY 

IN  EXPLANATION 

POE:  A  BIBLIOGRAPHIC  STUDY 


ILLUSTRATIONS  AND  FACSIMILES 

EDGAR  A.  POE        ....  FRONTISPIECE  PART  I. 

Reproduced  from  Stedmans  Poe  by  permission  of  The  Torch  Press. 

PAGE 
POE  AND  GRISWOLD 73 

MRS.  CLEMM.     With  Reproduction  TO  MY  MOTHER  .  .          135 

THE  LIBRARY         ....  FRONTISPIECE  PART  II. 

FACSIMILE  OF  FITZGERALD'S  INSCRIPTION  .  .  .189 

TITLE  PAGE  AL  AARAAF,  TAMERLANE  AND  MINOR  POEMS          193 
FACSIMILE  OF  THE  DEDICATION  OF  TAMERLANE  .  .     194 

TITLE  PAGES  TAMERLANE.    Original  and  Reproduction      .  .  195 

FACSIMILE  OF  POE'S  ADVERTISEMENT          .  .  .  .198 

TITLE  PAGE  THE  YANKEE 207 

TITLE  PAGE  POEMS  and  TO  HELEN 215 

FACSIMILE  OF  INSCRIPTION  POEMS        ....          227 

A  SHELF  OF  BOOKS 236 

TITLE  PAGE  THE  SOUTHERN  LITERARY  MESSENGER        .          241 
FACSIMILE  OF  IRVING  LETTER 249 

A  THACKERY  DRAWING 254 

One  of  ten  marginal  drawings  found  in  Thackeray's  copy  of  Schiller's  Poems. 

TITLE  PAGES  ARTHUR  GORDON  PYM.    American  and  English  .     257 

FACSIMILE  PAGE  OF  SIOPE 265 

FACSIMILE  OF  QUOTATION  FROM  ALCMAN  .           .           .  .266 

TITLE  PAGES  THE  CONCHOLOGIST.    POE  AND  BROWN.  .    272 

HALFTONE  PLATES  OF  SHELLS.     POE  AND  BROWN    .           .  276 

TITLE  PAGE  TALES  OF  THE  GROTESQUE  AND  ARABESQUE  278 

TITLE  PAGE  THE  AMERICAN  MUSEUM         .           .           .  .280 

FACSIMILE  OF  THE  HAUNTED  PALACE  283 


ILLUSTRATIONS  AND  FACSIMILES— continued 

FACSIMILE  PAGE  OF  CHARMION  AND  EIROS  .    287 

FACSIMILE  OF  THE  RAVEN    .  302 

TITLE  PAGE   THE  PIONEER  .    305 

FACSIMILE  PAGE  OF  THE  TELL  TALE  HEART  .    307 

FACSIMILE  OF  AN  AUTOGRAPH  LETTER  OF  POE  316 

FACSIMILE  OF  ULALUME   .  .318 

FACSIMILE  PAGE  OF  THE  BROADWAY  JOURNAL         .  321 

FACSIMILE  OF  CIRCULAR  LETTER        .  .    325 

TITLE  PAGES  POEMS  AND  TALES   .  333 

TITLE  PAGE   EUREKA  .    336 

FACSIMILE  ULALUME,  BERENICE,  LEONORA  AND  LIGEIA  403 
Reproduced  from  Woodbury's  Life  of  Poe  by  permission  Houghton  Miffllin.  Co. 

FACSIMILE  PAGE  MISCELLANEOUS  POEMS   .  415 


PART  I. 

EDGAR  A.  POE 

A  PSYCHOPATHIC  STUDY 


EDGAR  A.  POE 

A  PSYCHOPATHIC  STUDY 


THE  struggles,  the  disillusions,  and  the  enmities  of  life 
are  a  part  of  daily  experience.  Either  death  should 
bring  compensating  oblivion,  or  it  should  throw  the  mantle 
of  charity  over  our  frailties. 

Bitterly  as  Poe  suffered  while  he  lived,  and  disastrous 
as  was  the  fate  that  overwhelmed  him,  it  was  his  ill  for 
tune  to  be  even  more  harshly  judged  in  death  than  while  he 
lived  and  fought.  Alive,  he  was  feared :  dead,  a  dastardly 
advantage  was  taken,  and  his  works  were  sent  forth  con 
taining  a  memoir  that  has  been  well  called  an  "immortal 
infamy." 

There  was  an  audience  that  applauded  this  deed ;  for, 
while  Poe  left  behind  him  but  few  enemies,  he  left  very 
many  literary  enmities.  His  marvelously  accurate  estimates 
of  his  contemporaries — the  "Quacks  of  Helicon" — as  sum 
marized  in  the  various  papers  constituting  'The  Literati" 
and  "Marginalia,"  were  the  basis  for  these  attacks,  and  his 
neurosis,  with  its  characteristic  outbreaks,  was  the  occa 
sion  of  their  adverse  criticism. 

Many  other  writers  have  sinned  more  grievously,  and, 
while  they  have  not  obtained  the  corroborating  verdict  of 
posterity  supporting  their  judgment,  yet  their  mistakes 
have  been  overlooked,  forgiven,  or  forgotten  in  the  immor 
tal  works  they  have  left  behind  them. 

While  the  reputation  of  no  other  American  writer  stands 
so  preeminent  as  does  that  of  Poe,  yet  there  is,  mingled  with 
admiration,  mistrust  of  the  man:  a  belief  that  much  of 


POE:  A  PSYCHOPATHIC  STUDY 

the  weirdness  and  vividness  of  his  stories  and  poems  was 
the  result  of  an  abnormal  mentality,  which,  of  necessity, 
were  the  emanations  of  a  brain  diseased  or  drugged.  It 
is  difficult  either  to  think  or  to  write  of  Poe  without  this 
personal  element  intruding.  Because  of  the  uncanny 
realism  of  his  stories,  and  his  tendency  to  deal  with  the 
horrible  and  grotesque,  it  has  been  unjustly  asserted  that 
such  creations  are  not  compatible  with  a  normal  brain, 
or  with  intellectual  sanity.  Poe  achieved  such  complete  suc 
cess  in  forcibly  presenting  his  concepts,  and  in  minutely 
and  realistically  detailing  the  ideas  and  sentiments  which 
characterize  his  stories,  that  it  is  difficult  to  dissociate  the 
Work  from  the  Man.  Yet,  that  we  may  fully  understand 
the  Man,  this  differentiation  is  an  absolutely  necessary 
premise  on  which  to  base  an  opinion. 

Poe  was  human,  with  gentle  and  lovable  qualities,  and 
possessed  the  graces  and  refinements  that,  the  world  over, 
mark  the  gentleman.  He  was  not  the  unfriended  being 
who  regarded  society  as  "composed  altogether  of  villains  ;" 
nor  was  it  his  habit  to  "walk  the  streets  in  madness  or 
melancholy,  with  his  lips  moving  in  indistinct  curses, 
or  his  eyes  upturned  in  passionate  prayer;"  neither  can 
it  be  justly  said  that  he  had  "no  wish  for  the  esteem 
or  for  the  love  of  his  species;"  nor  that  he  only  wished 
to  "succeed  that  he  might  have  the  right  to  despise  a 
world  that  galled  his  self-conceit;" — all  of  which  his  first 
editor  asserted. 

Poe's  life  was  a  tragedy.  Better  would  it  have  been 
if  the  good  could  have  been  recorded  and  the  details  of 
his  infirmity  have  been  suppressed.  This  was  not  to  be. 
In  a  memoir  inserted  into  the  first  edition  of  Poe's 
collected  works  statements  were  so  distorted  when  they 
had  a  foundation  of  fact,  and  there  were  many  that 
were  so  false  and  without  foundation,  that  succeeding 
biographers,  attempting  to  refute  these  charges,  have  made 


POE:  A  PSYCHOPATHIC  STUDY          3 

assertions  not  substantiated  by  well  established  contem 
porary  evidence. 

In  reviewing  these  controversial  details  I  shall  attempt 
no  defense  of  Poe  except  where  the  facts  have  been  mis 
represented,  or  where  I  believe  that  there  have  been  abso 
lute  misstatements.  Unfortunately,  the  very  nature  of  this 
study  makes  it  necessary  for  me  to  dwell  on  certain  ques 
tionable  aspects  of  Poe's  life,  and  on  the  circumstances 
that  led  up  to  the  legends  still  clustering  around  his  name. 

Without  special  knowledge  of  the  causes  that  may 
produce  unstable  mental  states,  which  only  an  alienist  can 
possess,  no  biographer  of  Poe  has  been  able  to  grasp  in  their 
entirety  the  essential  facts  which  are  absolutely  necessary 
to  a  thorough  understanding  of  the  morbid  mental  condi 
tions  which  periodically  obsessed  him  and  under  whose  spell 
he  was  at  the  time  many  questioned  acts  were  committed. 

Certain  biographers  who  have  been  Poe's  most  active  de 
fenders  have  ignored  the  more  serious  charges,  or  have 
extenuated  and  denied  them  to  an  extent  not  warranted 
by  established  facts.  Only  those  who  are  experienced  in 
the  study  of  patients  thus  afflicted,  and  who  have  had  per 
sonal  association  with  them,  can  fully  understand  and 
appreciate  the  nature  of  the  neurosis  from  which  Poe 
suffered,  and  the  difficulty  in  overcoming  such  obsessions. 

Heredity  which,  more  than  environment,  dominates 
every  human  being,  was  responsible  both  for  Poe's 
brilliant  endowments,  and  for  the  one  evil  which  was  so 
woven  into  the  web  of  his  life  that  a  mere  statement  of 
the  evidence,  without  fully  weighing  it,  might  seem  to 
justify  the  strictures  of  certain  of  his  contemporaries,  but 
which  in  no  way  justify  the  vicious  assault  upon  Poe's 
memory  made  by  his  first  editor. 

Poe  inherited  a  nervous  temperament  that  was  preg 
nant  with  good  as  well  as  evil.  This  psychoneurotic  her 
edity  may  manifest  itself  in  many  ways. 


4          POE:  A  PSYCHOPATHIC  STUDY 

There  are  certain  unfortunates  born  into  the  world  who 
inherit  a  nervous  organization  so  unstable  that  the 
slightest  strain  will  break  their  nerve  resistance,  and  will 
precipitate  them  into  some  predetermined  form  of  func 
tional  neurosis  which  no  prophylactic  measure  can  pre 
vent  ;  nor  can  we  prognose  the  exact  form  this  neurosis 
may  take.  Often  it  will  be  merely  a  neurasthenia  develop 
ing  under  some  nerve  strain  in  a  person  predisposed,  which 
would  have  no  effect  on  a  normally  constituted  individual. 
Or  it  may  show  itself  in  that  Brahmanic  form  of  nervous 
seizure  which  we  call  "megrim/'  more  popularly  known  as 
sick-headache.  It  is  a  fact  to  be  noted  that  megrim  is, 
metaphorically  speaking,  a  badge  of  intellectual  royalty. 

1  cannot  conceive  a  mentally  dull  and  intellectually 
stupid  person  developing  a  typical  megrim  with  its  various 
prodromata  and  its  lightning-like  onset.  Its  recurrent  nature 
can  be  explained  only  by  some  form  of  brain  explosion.  In 
this  respect  it  is  closely  allied  to  its  near  relative,  epilepsy, 
but  it  differs  vastly  in  its  destructive  effect  both  on  the 
brain  and  on  the  intellectual  faculties.  In  some  of  those 
possessing  this  nervous  heredity,  other  neuroses  may  de 
velop.  Not  only  the  genius,  but  the  morally  or  intellectually 
insane,  are  classed  among  those  possessing  this  nervous 
diathesis. 

Another  common  type  is  that  form  from  which  Poe 
suffered  and  from  which  he  attempted  to  escape  by  the 
undue  use  of  alcohol  and,  occasionally,  opium.  In  the  par 
ticular  case  of  Poe,  and  because  alcohol  was  his  usual 
refuge,  the  term  "dipsomania"  can  be  properly  used ;  for,  in 
his  seizures,  this  disease  was  typically  manifested.  Dip 
somania  necessarily  has  an  alcoholic  inheritance.  It  is 
characterized  by  periodical  seizures  in  which  the  subject, 
because  of  changed  personality,  is  temporarily  irresponsi 
ble,  and  cannot,  at  all  times,  be  held  accountable  for  his 
conduct  or  his  acts.  Those  with  such  an  inheritance  may 


POE:  A  PSYCHOPATHIC  STUDY          5 

indulge  in  excesses,  usually  alcoholic,  often  immoral,  and, 
occasionally,  criminal.  When  these  seizures  pass  and 
the  patient  recovers,  there  may  be,  in  the  severer  and 
progressive  form,  complete  loss  of  memory.  During  the 
attack  there  is  usually  loss  of  self-control  and  an  abnormal 
ideation.  It  is  a  transmitted  disease  and  has  an  alcoholic 
heredity.  Not  every  alcoholic  father  begets  a  dipsomaniac 
child.  Many  children  born  of  such  parents  inherit  other  of 
the  functional  neuroses ;  yet,  when  we  find  the  dipsomaniac 
obsession,  we  are  certain  to  find  an  alcoholic  heredity 
which  is  marked,  or  alcohol  must  have  been  persisted 
in  through  two  or  three  generations. 

Should  the  parent  not  have  inherited  any  alcoholic  taint 
and  yet  drink  to  excess,  the  children  will  show  a  more  or 
less  marked  neurosis,  especially  if  begotten  when  the  par 
ent  was  in  a  condition  of  intoxication.  In  this  group  are 
to  be  included  the  defective,  the  criminal,  and  the  crank, 
as  well  as  those  possessing  an  unstable  nervous  system  that 
later  may  develop  into  insanity.  In  addition  to  these,  and 
as  truly  a  part  of  heredity,  are  the  precocious,  and  those 
having  that  excessive  development  of  certain  faculties 
which  we  call  genius.  Among  such  individuals  a  tendency 
to  alcoholic  excess  is  frequently  a  complicating  factor, 
though  often  slightly  marked  and  controllable. 

While  this  neurosis  may  be  lessened  in  this  second  gener 
ation,  and,  by  careful  mating,  may  be  eradicated,  yet  there 
is  an  inexorable  law  of  heredity  which  usually  dominates. 
Such  of  this  second  generation  as  do  become  alcoholic  fre 
quently  beget  the  dipsomaniac,  or  individuals  in  other 
ways  profoundly  neurotic ;  so  that  the  family  cursed  with 
this  particular  inheritance,  is  frequently  destroyed. 

Dipsomania  is  essentially  a  disease ;  and  those  suffering 
from  it  should  be  given  the  same  medical  consideration  we 
give  to  the  insane,  the  epileptic,  and  those  morally  defec 
tive.  Dipsomaniacs  drink  because  of  hereditary  compul- 


6          POE:  A  PSYCHOPATHIC  STUDY 

sion.  In  no  case  are  they  convivial  drinkers,  in  the  sense 
that  they  drink  by  reason  of  good-fellowship.  1 1  is  true  that, 
in  the  early  period,  they  may  occasionally  so  indulge;  but 
there  is  soon  established,  because  of  this  predisposition,  an 
uncontrollable  longing,  not  necessarily  for  the  taste  of 
alcohol,  but  rather  for  the  effect,  although  the  taste  be 
disagreeable. 

There  is,  in  the  beginning  of  the  attack,  a  sensation  of 
nervousness  and  unrest,  frequently  accompanied  by  de 
pression  of  spirits.  At  times  this  amounts  to  actual  mental 
pain,  which,  while  not  seriously  interfering  with  the 
normal  functioning  of  the  intellectual  processes,  can  pro 
foundly  influence  the  moral  faculties  and  may  result  in 
inability  to  judge  rightly  of  their  own  condition.  The 
will  power  of  such  patients,  inhibited  from  carrying  out 
habitual  and  customary  acts,  may  unfit  them  for  social 
intercourse.  Occasionally  this  goes  to  the  extent  of  ac 
tual,  if  slight,  mental  disturbance  which  most  insist 
ently  demands  some  form  of  narcotic  control,  or  at 
least  immoral  excitement.  They  will  seek  surroundings 
which  in  their  better  moods  would  be  disgusting,  and 
for  days  or  weeks  will  disappear,  to  return  seared  by  the 
marks  of  their  dissipation,  repentant  and  protesting  a 
horror  of  alcohol,  certain  they  never  again  will  relapse. 
Many  of  the  milder  cases  show  no  serious  moral  change 
and,  except  for  these  occasional  outbreaks,  attract  but 
slight  attention  even  among  their  intimates.  Such  cases 
are  amenable  to  treatment  and  are  regarded  as  recover 
able.  Usually  time,  with  proper  restorative  procedures,  will 
cure  them,  or  at  least,  if  not  fully  restored,  their  power 
of  resistance  may  be  so  increased  that  no  serious  brain 
degeneration  will  follow. 

When  the  inheritance  is  more  pronounced,  and  there  is 
marked  nervous  instability,  very  serious  moral  and  men 
tal  deterioration  occurs.  When  alcohol  has  been  consumed 


POE:  A  PSYCHOPATHIC  STUDY          7 

for  a  long  period  of  time  the  nerve  centers  may  become 
markedly  diseased.  Invariably  there  is  intense  congestion, 
often  accompanied  by  a  low  grade  of  inflammation  of  the 
meninges — spider-like  encephalic  coverings  composed  of  a 
network  of  arterioles  attached  to  the  brain  convolutions 
by  means  of  which  the  cells  of  the  brain  are  supplied  with 
blood.  These  arterioles  become  thickened,  tortuous,  and 
occasionally  membranous,  adhering  both  to  the  skull 
cap  and  the  brain  tissue.  Because  of  temporary  stimula 
tion  of  the  circulation,  this  organic  change  frequently  re 
sults  in  maniacal  outbreaks,  often  of  short  duration ;  or  it 
may,  if  this  change  has  progressed  sufficiently,  determine 
and  actually  produce  a  chronic  mania. 

The  more  serious  forms  of  dipsomania  are  at  times  ac 
companied  by  temporary  loss  of  memory,  and  one  pecul 
iarity  of  this  condition  is  that  the  patient  may,  in  action 
and  appearance,  speech  and  conduct,  appear  normal ;  yet, 
on  recovery,  there  will  be  no  memory  of  what  happened 
during  these  lapses.  Our  medico-legal  books  detail  many 
cases  of  this  kind,  and  the  law  as  to  their  irresponsibility 
is  well  established.  Occasionally  prolonged  alcoholic  de 
bauches  terminate  in  temporary  delirium  without  these 
serious  organic  changes;  but,  when  the  organic  stage  is 
reached,  such  patients  should  not  be  held  responsible. 

Alienists  recognize  certain  nervous  manifestations  which 
are  due  to  heredity  and  have  periodic  returns  as  true 
mental  diseases,  and  they  classify  them  under  the  general 
term  "Periodic  Insanity/'  These  do  not  manifest  them 
selves  by  outbreaks  of  either  excitement  or  depression; 
nevertheless  they  are  not  normal  and  are  characterized  by 
a  weakened  or  perverted  mental  state. 

One  of  our  well  known  authorities  on  insanity,  Spitzka, 
thus  summarizes  these  conditions : 

Almost  any  one  of  the  known  forms  of  morbid  impulse  may 
appear  in  periodical  phases,  but  this  is  particularly  the  case  with  the 


8          POE:  A  PSYCHOPATHIC  STUDY 

morbid  craving  for  drink,  which  seizes  on  its  subjects  at  certain  inter 
vals  with  such  intensity  that  the  ordinarily  quiet,  orderly,  refined 
and  sensitive  patient,  losing  all  sense  of  propriety  and  shame,  gives 
himself  up  to  unrestrained  and  ruinous  debauchery.  This  distressing 
condition  is  known  as  Dipsomania.  It  is  to  be  distinguished  from 
inebriety  and  alcoholism:  for  the  inebriate  is  not  driven  to  his  exces 
ses  so  suddenly  and  irresistibly,  nor  does  he  cease  them  as  abruptly  as 
the  dipsomaniac.  In  the  inebriate  the  motive  grows  out  of  appetite 
and  habit;  in  the  dipsomaniac  it  is  a  blind  craving  which,  if  not  stilled 
by  alcoholic  beverages,  will  seek  some  other  outlet.  Of  ten  these  patients 
develop  some  morbid  craving  for  certain  narcotics,  and  we  may  thus 
have  a  periodical  craving  for  opium  analogous  to  the  periodical  crav 
ing  for  drink,  and  as  distinct  from  the  ordinary  opium  habit  as  is 
dipsomania  from  inebriety.  As  a  consequence  of  his  blind  indulgence 
in  drink  during  his  diseased  periods,  the  dipsomaniac  may  become 
the  subject  of  acute  alcoholic  delirium  or  of  chronic  alcoholism,  though 
the  latter  is  rare ;  these  conditions  are  to  be  looked  on  as  results  and 
not  as  essential  features  of  dipsomania,  which  is  to  be  defined  as  a 
form  of  periodical  insanity,  manifesting  itself  in  a  blind  craving  for 
stimulant  and  narcotic  beverages. 

In  the  more  serious  forms,  such  as  Spitzka  describes, 
there  is  often  found  brain  degeneration;  if  so,  the  prog 
nosis  is  bad  and  a  cure  cannot  be  expected.  These  periodi 
cal  attacks  occur  with  greater  and  greater  frequency, 
and,  unless  cut  off  by  some  intercurrent  disease,  organic 
changes  occur,  and  a  brain  break  with  mental  destruction 
may  follow. 

In  the  less  severe  cases,  especially  those  not  complicated 
by  organic  brain  changes,  by  lapse  of  memory  with  autom 
atism,  or  by  other  mental  disturbance,  it  is  possible,  with 
proper  care  and  enforced  seclusion  during  these  seizures, 
to  lessen  their  severity  and  to  increase  the  intervals  be 
tween  them  until,  finally,  complete  recovery  follows. 

Spitzka  is  correct  when  he  says  that  during  these  recur 
rent  periods  which  characterize  the  life  history  of  the  dip 
somaniac,  they  do  not  always  confine  themselves  to  alcohol. 
As  a  matter  of  fact,  they  may  resort  to  any  form  of  nar- 


POE:  A  PSYCHOPATHIC  STUDY         9 

cotic;  or  they  may  seek  other  and  more  bestial  ways  of 
gratifying  their  morbid  impulses.  At  times  they  develop 
sexual  perversions  and  hide  in  some  brothel  where  they 
may  give  full  rein  to  their  erotic  excitement ;  or  they  retire 
to  a  gambling  den  where  they  may  exercise  their  passions 
without  hindrance ;  or  they  exhibit  other  phases  of  social 
unrestraint.  I  have  had  patients  who  would  go  from 
one  saloon  to  another  seeking  the  glitter  of  bar  attach 
ments,  delighting  in  the  roll  of  dice,  listening  to  the 
clink  of  coin  on  the  polished  mahogany,  yet  they  would 
drink  nothing  but  effervescent  waters.  It  was  these  par 
ticular  forms  of  excitement  they  craved,  not  alcoholic 
beverages. 

After  an  attack  the  patient  will  return  to  his  home  and 
business  haunted  by  the  bitter  memory  of  his  misdeeds ; 
most  earnest  and  honest  in  his  profession  of  reform,  and 
he  cannot  be  persuaded  to  taste  alcohol  in  any  form. 
When  such  patients  assert  that  they  have  reformed 
they  are  in  earnest,  and,  at  the  time,  nothing  can  induce 
them  to  break  their  pledge.  Yet,  when  the  seizure  re 
turns,  the  impulse  becomes  irresistible,  although  for  days 
they  may  fight  off  the  impending  catastrophe.  When 
the  break  occurs  usually  they  attribute  it  to  some 
trivial  cause  or  circumstance  in  no  way  responsible — 
some  family  disagreement,  business  disappointment, 
or  other  minor  matter.  Nothing  is  too  trivial  to  allege 
in  their  attempt  at  explanation. 

A  study  of  Poe's  heredity  and  life  work  makes  it  plain 
that  many  of  Griswold's  allegations,  even  when  true, 
cannot  justly  be  charged  against  Poe,  but  rather  against 
his  morbid  heredity.  If  this  seems  too  fine  a  distinction, 
at  least  we  must  recognize  the  fact  that,  by  reason  of 
this  heredity,  Poe  was  not  always  to  be  held  responsible 
either  for  his  words  or  his  acts,  for  his  great  accomplish 
ments  or  his  lapses.  Heredity  was  as  much  responsible  for 


10        POE:  A  PSYCHOPATHIC  STUDY 

the  one  as  for  the  other;  his  heritage  was  pregnant  with 
both  good  and  evil. 

Precocity,  of  necessity,  foretells  early  decline.  I  view 
brilliancy  in  the  child  as  an  inherent  and  abnormal  heredity 
which  must  pay  the  price  of  premature  decay.  It  is  not  an 
indication  of  a  prime  which  shall  be  slowly  attained,  to  be 
enriched  by  worldly  experience  and  strengthened  by  that 
mental  capacity  which  enables  us  to  retain  the  good  that 
is  in  the  experience  of  all  and  to  avoid  the  evil. 

Occasionally  only  does  it  happen  that  the  honor-child 
of  our  public  schools,  or  the  gold-medalist  from  the  uni 
versity,  achieves  distinction  either  in  the  professions  or  in 
public  or  business  life.  It  is  true  that  this  test,  alone,  is 
most  unfair.  Neither  money  nor  distinction  may  be  re 
garded  as  the  real  criterion  of  success;  yet  it  is  certain 
that  the  quality  of  brain  which  readily  commits  to  mem 
ory  such  studies  as  are  required,  and  does  not  demand 
independence  of  thought,  is  not  the  quality  which  makes 
for  the  common  sense  and  sane  judgment  necessary  for 
successful  competition  in  our  highly  organized  profes 
sional  and  business  life.  On  the  other  hand,  plodders  will 
never  reach  the  heights.  They  can  be  scaled  only  by 
those  who  are  endowed  with  genius. 

It  was  of  old  believed  that  certain  persons  were  pos 
sessed  of  a  daimon  or  genius;  and  by  these  terms  the 
Ancients  designated  what  they  believed  to  be  the  deity 
that  possessed  and  buoyed  up  those  endowed  with  the 
afflatus  divinus.  While  we  have  adopted  the  word  bodily, 
we  use  it  in  a  slightly  different  sense : 

Exalted  mental  power  distinguished  by  instinctive  aptitude,  and 
independent  of  tuition ;  phenomenal  capability,  derived  from  inspira 
tion  or  exaltation,  for  intellectual  creation  or  expression;  that  con 
stitution  of  the  mind  or  perfection  of  faculties  which  enables  a  person 
to  excel  others  in  mental  perception,  comprehension,  discrimination 
and  expression,  especially  in  Literature,  Art,  and  Science. 


POE:  A  PSYCHOPATHIC  STUDY        11 

Genius,  derived  from  genere  (to  beget)  is  necessarily  in 
born.  It  develops  early  and  is  characterized  by  precocity. 
It  is  most  dangerous  for  the  man  who  possesses  and  is 
swayed  by  it;  yet  it  is  an  inheritance  for  which  the  indi 
vidual  possessing  it  is  in  no  way  responsible,  nor  can  we 
forecast  the  destined  end  to  which  it  will  lead  him.  Such 
an  inheritance  leads  oftener  to  disaster  than  to  success. 
All  great  things  are  conceived  by  the  man  of  genius,  and 
it  has  been  well  said,  'The  Crank  turns  the  World." 

Poe  was  a  genius,  and  he  paid  the  full  price  for  his  in 
heritance. 

I  do  not  know  of  any  biography  of  Poe  which,  from  the 
psychiatrist's  point  of  view,  presents  the  facts  of  his  life 
in  a  manner  to  make  clear  a  full  comprehension  of  the 
basic  evil  that  dominated  him. 

Harrison  says : 

Poe's  case  has  never  been  scientifically  diagnosed  by  a  competent 
neurologist  who  possessed  combined  pathological  and  literary  equip 
ment  and  freedom  from  prejudice  necessary  to  render  his  case — more 
singular  than  The  Case  of  M.  Valdemar' — intelligible  to  the  reading 
world. 

Though  I  may  not  possess  these  requisite  qualifications, 
yet  am  I  justified  in  the  attempt ;  for  the  questions  have 
so  frequently  been  asked  and  so  often  have  been  mis 
takenly  answered  as  to  justify  a  further  essay  in  this 
direction.  Whether  or  not  my  answer  shall  fully  cover  all 
the  facts  which  have  been  alleged  by  Poe's  overzealous 
friends,  and  by  his  enemy,  must  be  a  matter  of  individual 
judgment.  I  am  certain  that  the  pictures  painted  have  not 
truly  represented  the  real  man ;  and  it  is  entirely  possible 
that  a  spirit  so  proud  and  a  soul  so  sensitive  may  not  be 
humanly  judged  nor  accurately  weighed  in  the  scales  of 
social  justice. 

As  a  rule,  biographers  consider  their  work  of  establishing 
hereditary  predispositions,  on  which  later  accomplish- 


12        POE:  A  PSYCHOPATHIC  STUDY 

ments  depend,  completed  when  they  have  constructed 
a  genealogy  blazed  with  quarterings,  even  if  marked  with 
the  bend  sinister:  or  when,  in  tracing  ancestry  to  some 
name  great  for  mental  acquirements  or  deeds  performed, 
they  have  thrown  a  luster  about  their  subject  which,  in 
some  way,  glorified  him.  They  know  nothing  of  the  Men- 
delian  law  as  applied  to  heredity.  They  ignore  the  fact 
that  great  genius,  like  that  of  Caesar  or  Napoleon,  or  such 
mental  gifts  as  were  bestowed  on  Shakespeare  and  Bacon, 
are  the  result  of  what  horticulturists  call  a  sport,  and 
only  occur  as  an  abnormality;  and  that  not  only  do  they 
not  breed  true  to  their  kind,  but  rather  tend  to  degeneracy 
and  extinction. 

"Poor  but  honest"  is  not  a  bad  beginning  for  any  biog 
raphy.  For  my  own  part,  the  fact  that  a  father  was  tem 
perate  in  all  things,  fearlessly  honest  in  his  dealings, 
kindly  and  generous  in  his  worldly  associations,  and  that 
he  possessed  a  strong  physique,  free  from  all  hereditary 
diseases  and  diatheses,  is  a  heritage  to  be  prized  more 
than  all  the  wealth  of  a  Rockefeller  or  the  collection  of  a 
Huntington. 

It  is  alleged  that  the  family  of  Poe  traces  its  lineage 
to  a  Norman  named  De  la  Poer,  who  went  to  England 
with  William  the  Conquerer.  It  is  also  said  that  certain 
of  Poe's  ancestors  lived  in  Derbyshire  and  that  among 
them  was  a  poet,  locally  famous.  Some  evidence  has  been 
brought  forward  to  show  that  his  name  is  of  German  or 
Danish  origin.  Others  trace  his  ancestry  to  the  Poles  or 
Poes  of  Tipperary.  However,  the  most  diligent  searcher 
for  the  root  of  this  genealogical  tree,  Sir  Edmund  T. 
Bewley,  M.A.,  LL.  D.,  F.  R.  S.A.I.,  has  proved  to  my 
satisfaction  that  Poe's  great-grandfather,  who  emigrated 
to  America  when  a  boy,  was  the  combined  product  of 
the  Poes  of  Kilkenny  and  Donnybrook.  This  fighting 
stock  was  strengthened  by  the  marriage  by  this  ancestor 


POE:  A  PSYCHOPATHIC  STUDY        13 

either  the  sister,  or  the  cousin,  or  the  aunt  of  one 
Admiral  MacBride — commentators  differing  as  to  the 
relationship;  yet  it  is  regarded  as  important,  for  all  of 
Poe's  biographers  dwell  on  this  connection,  possibly  for 
the  reason  that  it  aids  in  explaining  the  sudden  rise  of 
Poe's  grandfather,  David  Poe,  from  a  worker  in  wood  to 
the  rank  of  general  in  the  Revolutionary  army.  In  all  biog 
raphies  he  is  referred  to  as  "General  Poe  of  Revolutionary 
fame."  That  General  Poe  must  have  possessed  a  strong 
personality  is  proved  by  the  fact  that  he  rose  from  the 
humble  occupation  of  wheelwright  and  became  a  deputy 
assistant  quartermaster  general ;  and  that  the  occasion  for 
this  rise  was  the  fact  that  he  ruled  and  directed  a  patriotic 
mob  when  it  rose  in  rebellion  against  tyrannical  British 
domination.  This  not  only  proves  that  he  inherited  the 
fighting  qualities  of  his  ancestors  but  also  it  demonstrates 
the  fact  that  Irish  blood  flowed  in  his  veins. 

Occasionally  family  pride  is  justified.  In  such  a  record 
of  tradition  and  accomplishment  as  the  Adams  family 
can  exhibit,  I  see  a  reason  for  genealogical  pride  in  deeds 
performed — in  spite  of  "The  last  fruit  off  an  Old  Tree", 
that  pessimistic  note  which  characterizes  "The  Education 
of  Henry  Adams".  Again,  the  research  work  and  scientific 
attainments  of  the  family  of  Darwin,  which  for  generations 
have  made  it  a  name  of  note,  deserve  recognition.  In  the 
case  of  Poe  there  is  no  foundation  for  any  such  heraldic 
data. 

There  is  a  study  which  must  be  made  in  order  that  we 
may  account  not  only  for  the  flower  of  fruition,  but  also 
for  the  root  of  the  evil  that  afflicted  Poe.  What  we  must 
know  for  this  purpose  are  certain  details  as  to  the  mode  of 
life  and  the  alcoholic  history  of  his  immediate  ancestors, 
as  well  as  the  moral  code  by  which  they  were  governed. 
That  their  habits  were  alcoholically  temperate,  is  doubt 
ful.  William  Poe,  a  cousin,  wrote  Edgar  as  follows: 


14        POE:  A  PSYCHOPATHIC  STUDY 

There  is  one  thing  I  am  anxious  to  caution  you  against  and  which 
has  been  a  great  foe  to  our  family — I  hope  in  your  case  it  will  not  be 
necessary,  'a  too  frequent  use  of  the  bottle.' 

Such  statements  are  introduced  only  by  stealth  and 
rarely.  Yet,  without  this,  knowing  the  result,  the  cause  is 
readily  deducible.  Dipsomaniac  compulsion,  as  we  see  ex 
emplified  in  the  life-history  of  Poe,  necessarily  presup 
poses  an  alcoholic  heredity.  David  Poe,  the  father,  while 
still  a  student  of  the  law,  developed  an  alcoholic  syndrome 
which  probably  led  to  his  early  death.  Disowned  by  his 
father  for  his  marriage  to  an  actress,  a  Miss  Arnold,  he 
not  only  failed  to  support  her,  but  became  dependent  on 
her  charity,  as  well  as  on  that  of  others.  This  wife  and 
mother  seems  to  have  been  an  intelligent  and  capable 
actress,  though  of  no  marked  histrionic  ability.  We  honor 
her  because  she  bore  her  cross  so  bravely,  and,  in  spite  of 
the  hardships  and  the  strolling  life  she  led,  remained  a 
faithful  and  loving  wife  and  mother. 

Eugenically  it  was  an  unfortunate  marriage,  even  if  the 
world  of  letters  was  so  greatly  the  gainer.  The  three  chil 
dren,  William,  Edgar  and  Rosalie,  each  in  some  way 
showed  specific  evidence  of  this  heredity.  William  died 
in  early  manhood.  He  probably  inherited  his  father's 
instability  of  character,  as  well  as  his  unstable  constitu 
tion,  although  I  know  of  no  direct  alcoholic  history.  That 
he  was  wayward  and  difficult  to  control,  and  had  been 
sent  to  sea  in  an  effort  to  reform  him,  is  all  that  has  been 
definitely  established.  He  is  said  to  have  possessed  a  fasci 
nating  personality  as  well  as  a  brilliant  mind.  Several  of 
his  poems  have  been  published,  and,  apparently,  they 
compared  favorably  with  Edgar's  productions  of  the  same 
period. 

The  sister,  Rosalie,  gave  stronger  evidence  of  degener 
acy.  She  was  a  moron,  strong  of  body  but  mentally  weak. 

The  early  death  of  Poe's  mother  resulted  in  his  greatest 


POE:  A  PSYCHOPATHIC  STUDY        15 

misfortune.    Gill   thus   describes   the   conditions   under 
which  she  died: 

Mr.  Allan  and  Mr.  McKenzie,  both  wealthy  and  benevolent  Scotch 
gentlemen,  having  been  informed  that  the  Poes  were  in  great  distress, 
sought  them  out  to  afford  them  relief.  They  were  found  in  wretched 
lodgings,  lying  upon  a  straw  bed,  and  very  sick,  Mr.  Poe  with  con 
sumption,  and  his  wife  with  penumonia.  There  was  no  food  in  the 
house.  They  had  no  money  or  fuel  and  their  clothes  had  been  pawned 
or  sold. 

Two  little  children  were  with  the  parents,  in  the  care  of  an  old 
Welsh  woman  who  had  come  over  from  England  with  Mrs.  Poe,  and 
who  was  understood  to  be  her  mother.  The  children  were  half  clad, 
half  starved,  and  very  much  emaciated.  The  youngest  was  in  a  stupor, 
caused  by  feeding  them  bread  steeped  in  gin.  The  old  woman  ac 
knowledged  that  she  was  in  the  habit  of  so  feeding  them  'to  keep 
them  quiet  and  make  them  strong.' 

Two  weeks  later  Mrs.  Poe  died.  The  fate  of  the  father 
is  uncertain  although  it  has  been  a  generally  accepted  belief 
that  his  death  preceded  that  of  his  wife.  It  is  said  that 
documents  which  had  belonged  to  the  Ellis-Allan  firm 
and  which,  having  been  stored  away,  were  not  accessible 
to  Poe  biographers,  rather  point  to  desertion.  These 
papers,  together  with  other  documents  that  had  belonged 
to  the  Valentine  family,  of  which  the  first  Mrs.  Allan  was 
a  member,  contain  statements  relating  to  the  Poe  ancestry ; 
but,  as  they  also  refer  to  other  families  still  well  known, 
their  contents  have  not  been  made  public.  Poe  biographers 
have  had  access  to  these  papers  and  it  is  probable  that  all 
facts  proper  for  publication  has  been,  or  will  be  set  forth 
in  a  forthcoming  biography. 

Harrison  says  that  Edgar  was  adopted  by  Mr.  John 
Allan,  who  bestowed  on  him  his  own  name.  Whether  or  not 
he  was  really  adopted,  at  least  he  was  cared  for  by  Mr.  Allan. 
Harrison  thus  refers  to  Richmond,  the  future  home  of  Poe : 

At  Richmond  it  was  (and  is)  delightful  to  live,  and  here  in  1811, 
having  been  adopted  by  Mr.  John  Allan,  Poe  took  up  his  abode. 


16        POE:  A  PSYCHOPATHIC  STUDY 

During  his  most  impressionable  years,  the  City  was  the  most  intellec 
tual  and  the  gayest  city  in  the  South.  It  was  full  of  old  families  that 
had  furnished  statesmen,  legislators,  governors,  generals  and  Con 
gressmen  to  the  United  States.  .  .  .  Little  Edgar's  childhood  and 
youth  were  passed  in  an  atmosphere  of  sociability,  open-air  sports, 
oratory,  and  elocution. 

Raised  as  the  son  of  a  rich  man,  and  accustomed  to  all 
the  luxuries  that  should  not  be  given  to  any  child,  it  is 
possible  that  such  surroundings  brought  out  and  accen 
tuated  those  hereditary  evils  which  a  different  environ 
ment  might  have  modified.  As  far  as  we  know,  Poe's  one 
expressed  desire  and  longing  was  for  mother-love.  The 
considerate  and  loving  care  he  lavished  on  his  wife  and 
her  mother  proves  to  us  that,  in  spite  of  his  inherited 
paternal  vices,  there  must  have  been  in  him  some  of  the 
staunch  and  lovable  qualities  of  his  mother ;  and  the  yearn 
ing  and  affection  he  always  exhibited  for  Mrs.  Clemm 
redeems  him  from  the  charge  of  being  the  cold,  repellent, 
and  unfriended  being  delineated  by  his  first  biographer. 

Poe  early  became  the  spoiled  pet  of  an  admiring 
guardian.  No  more  pitiful  picture  could  be  drawn  than 
this: 

A  pretty  trick  taught  the  boy  by  Mr.  Allan  was  to  drink  the 
healths  of  the  company  in  a  glass  of  diluted  wine.  He  would  stand 
on  a  chair,  raise  the  glass  with  all  the  ceremony  of  those  old  Dominion 
days,  then  take  a  sip  gracefully,  then  with  roguish  laugh,  reseat 
himself  amidst  the  applause  of  the  company. 

We  need  not  wonder  at  the  peculiar  form  and  abnormal 
character  of  his  early  drinking,  considering  his  heredity, 
and  with  such  environment.  The  gin  sop  could  not  have 
more  evilly  influenced  him. 

He  was  mentally  precocious  and  physically  well  de 
veloped.  Not  only  was  he  brilliant  in  his  classes  and  re 
markable  for  his  mental  attainments,  but  he  was  the 
leader  in  play  and  in  all  athletic  exercises.  No  wonder  the 


POE:  A  PSYCHOPATHIC  STUDY        17 

heart  of  his  doting  guardian  warmed  to  a  being  so  gifted. 
But,  with  all  these  advantages, 

Evil  things  in  robes  of  sorrow 
Assailed  the  monarchs  high  estate. 

The  hereditary  evil,  like  the  precocity,  was  also  a  part 
of  Poe's  inheritance.  While  yet  a  student  there  came 
reports  of  moral  delinquencies  and  alcoholic  excesses  which 
resulted  in  Allan  forbidding  his  return  to  the  university. 
A  classmate  writes : 

Poe's  passion  for  strong  drink  was  as  marked  as  for  cards.  It  was 
not  the  taste  of  the  beverage  that  influenced  him;  without  a  sip  or 
smack  of  the  mouth  he  would  seize  a  full  glass,  without  sugar  or 
water,  and  send  it  home  at  a  single  gulp. 

While  still  a  youth  Poe  devoured  his  cake ;  but,  unfor 
tunately  for  him,  it  was  made  of  wild  oats.  He  had  sowed 
them  early  and  ever  after  their  beards  galled  him;  and, 
"in  his  old  age,"  he  was  compelled  to  chew  the  cud  of 
their  juiceless  husks. 

His  guardian,  no  longer  willing  to  countenance  his  esca 
pades,  forced  him  to  work,  but,  so  attached  was  Mrs.  Allan 
to  her  wayward  boy,  that  an  added  unhappiness  entered 
the  Allan  home. 

There  is  an  unwritten  chapter  in  the  life  of  Poe  that  has 
not  yet  been  formulated.  The  details  are  so  indistinct,  and 
statements  made  concerning  it  are  so  conflicting,  that 
no  one  has  succeeded  in  fully  unravelling  the  tangle  of 
fable  and  fact.  Primarily  it  deals  with  the  Allan  family 
skeleton,  which  is  now  a  matter  of  court  record.  There  was 
much  marital  unhappiness  due  to  the  fact  that  Allan 
entered  into  entangling  alliances  which  later  ended  in  a 
notorious  will  contest.  During  the  life  of  the  first  Mrs. 
Allan  this  was  probably  known  to  her ;  and  it  is  said  that 
Poe,  then  a  young  boy,  was  instrumental  in  finding  out 
for  her  such  information  as  she  required.  It  seems  to  be 


18        POE:  A  PSYCHOPATHIC  STUDY 

established  that  Poe  was  not  adopted  by  Allan  nor  was  he 
much  more  than  tolerated  because  of  Mrs.  Allan's  very  pro 
nounced  favoritism.  It  is  said  that  although  Allan  knew 
of  Poe's  intention  to  run  away  from  Richmond  where, 
after  his  removal  from  the  university,  he  was  made  to 
work  in  Allan's  tobacco  warehouse,  the  man  took  no  steps 
to  prevent  the  flight,  but  rather  encouraged  it.  Certain  it  is 
that  Poe  did  run  away  and  take  ship  for  England,  and  that 
when  this  became  known  to  Mrs.  Allan  she  made  every 
effort  to  force  his  return.  Certain  papers  found  in  the 
warehouse  of  Allan,  now  known  as  the  "Ellis-Allan  Docu 
ments,"  which  recently  have  been  placed  in  the  Congres 
sional  Library,  cover  a  period  preceding  the  "adoption" 
of  Poe,  and  also  a  considerable  time  after  all  Poe  associa 
tion  had  ceased.  These  also  may  contain  letters  that  were 
taken  from  Mrs.  Poe  at  the  time  of  her  death.  So  far  as 
they  relate  to  matters  of  hereditary  significance  regarding 
Poe,  they  are  of  value,  but  not  for  the  purpose  of  further 
discrediting  the  Poe  family.  It  is  said  that  the  undue  use 
Allan  made  of  these  papers  further  embittered  Poe,  and 
this  goes  far  to  explain  the  active  hostility  that  existed 
between  them. 

That  Poe  spent  two  years  traveling  on  the  continent 
of  Europe,  during  which  time  he  visited  Russia,  Greece, 
and  France,  is  not  probable.  We  know  that  it  was  during 
this  time  that  the  first  Tamerlane  was  printed  in  Boston, 
but  the  bibliographical  details  remain  an  unsolvable  puz 
zle.  While  we  cannot  account  for  this  long  period,  and 
know  little  of  the  life  Poe  led  and  the  influences  that  sur 
rounded  him,  I  cannot  agree  with  Woodberry  in  the  discov 
ery  he  claims  to  have  made,  that  Poe  enlisted  in  the  army 
under  the  name  of  Perry  and  served  his  country  faithfully, 
with  a  record  for  sobriety  and  attention  to  the  details  of 
his  appointment ;  and  that  his  conduct  was  so  admirable 
and  his  deportment  so  good  that,  at  the  end  of  two  years,  he 


POE:  A  PSYCHOPATHIC  STUDY        19 

was  promoted  to  the  highest  non-commissioned  grade  in 
the  army  and  honorably  discharged. 

Poe's  later  biographers  have  accepted  this  as  an  estab 
lished  fact,  in  spite  of  existing  records  which  show  that 
the  complexion  and  the  color  of  the  eyes  and  hair  of  Perry 
differed  from  those  of  Poe.  Even  this  might  be  accounted 
for  by  careless  entries.  My  reason  for  doubting  Woodberry 
is  that  at  no  time,  before  or  after,  was  Poe  amenable  to  the 
slightest  restraint;  nor  could  he,  even  for  the  shortest 
period,  brook  discipline.  I  do  not  believe  it  possible  for 
one  of  Poe's  neurotic  temperament  to  have  contained 
himself  so  completely  when  placed  under  such  strict  disci 
pline  and  in  surroundings  so  exacting.  He  enlisted,  but 
earned  no  discharge.  A  substitute  released  him. 

Poe  finally  did  go  to  West  Point,  although  he  was  over 
age  and  temperamentally  unfitted.  In  his  application  Poe's 
friends  did  not  hesitate  to  falsify  so  as  to  represent  his 
birthplace  to  have  been  Richmond  and  the  year  of  his 
birth  to  have  been  1811.  As  a  matter  of  fact  he  was  born 
in  Boston  in  1809,  and  entered  West  Point  in  July,  1830, 
when  he  was  twenty-one  years  and  six  months  old. 

Poe  always  denied  that  he  was  Boston  born,  and,  in  the 
various  statements  he  gave  out  for  biographical  notices, 
he  named  Baltimore  as  his  birthplace. 

I  do  not  know  that  any  unprejudiced  person  can  blame 
Poe  for  denying  that  he  was  born  in  Boston.  It  was  an 
accident  due  to  the  fact  that  his  birth  occurred  while  his 
mother  was  there,  playing  with  her  company.  Poe  cannot 
be  held  responsible  for  such  accidental  misfortunes.  His 
heart  was  in  Baltimore  and,  in  feeling  and  later  association, 
he  was  fanatically  Southern. 

At  West  Point,  for  the  first  time,  we  get  a  lifelike  por 
trayal  of  Poe,  the  man.  The  picture,  while  illuminating, 
is  not  pleasing.  It  was  drawn  by  a  fellow  student,  appar- 
entlv  his  closest  friend. 


20        POE:  A  PSYCHOPATHIC  STUDY 

Poe  evidently  had  seen  much  of  life — hard  life,  which  had 
left  its  imprint  on  him.  As  a  boy  he  had  been  admired  for  his 
personal  beauty ;  when  he  entered  West  Point  his  expres 
sion  was  "weary,  worn  and  discontented,"  and  so  aged  did 
he  appear  that  it  was  jokingly  said  the  appointment  had 
been  obtained  for  the  son,  but  he  had  died  and  his  father 
took  the  vacancy.  Cheap  wit :  at  least  it  showed  that  the  life 
Poe  lived  before  entering  West  Point  had  left  its  imprint. 

Another  report  current  in  the  corps  was  that  he  was  the  grandson 
of  Benedict  Arnold.  Some  good-natured  friend  told  him  of  it,  and  Poe 
did  not  contradict  it,  but  seemed  rather  pleased  than  otherwise  at  the 
mistake. 

He  neglected  his  studies  and  expressed  the  greatest  con 
tempt  for  the  required  military  duties — very  different 
from  the  orderly  and  punctilious  Perry.  His  alcoholic 
habits  there  have  been  set  forth  in  full.  His  friend  paints 
his  life  as  most  irregular;  as  consisting  of  a  series  of 
broken  rules,  defiance  of  all  authority,  inveigling  younger 
and  less  sophisticated  youths  into  infringements  of  army 
regulations,  and,  above  all,  such  utter  disregard  for  all  the 
canons  of  decency  and  morality,  that  the  alienist  must 
believe  such  actions  were  the  result  of  an  acute  mental 
brainstorm,  induced  by  the  abuse  of  alcohol. 

Poe  apologists  have  explained  these  acts  as  a  ruse  for  es 
caping  from  an  irksome  confinement,  and  as  a  means  toward 
regaining  his  freedom.  This  is  not  an  intelligible  explan 
ation  and  does  not  comport  with  the  facts.  Other  means 
could  have  been  adopted  which  more  easily  and  more  hon 
orably  would  have  attained  this  end.  Rather,  these  acts  are 
in  line  with  the  loose  and  irresponsible  life  that  he  had  fol 
lowed  for  two  years  before  entering  the  Military  Academy. 
It  has  been  shown  that  during  this  time  Poe's  life  was  most 
irregular. 

A  story,  current  at  the  military  academy,  was  told  by 
General  Magruder : 


POE:  A  PSYCHOPATHIC  STUDY        21 

He  made  a  voyage  to  sea  on  some  merchant  vessel,  before  the  mast. 
Finding  himself  in  the  Mediterranean,  he  debarked  at  some  Eastern 
port  and  penetrated  into  Egypt  and  Arabia.  Returning  to  the  United 
States,  he  enlisted  as  a  private  in  the  United  States  Army  at  Fort 
ress  Monroe.  After  some  months'  service  his  whereabouts  and  position 
became  known  to  Mr.  Allan,  who,  through  the  mediation  of  General 
Scott  (a  cousin  of  the  second  Mrs.  Allan),  obtained  his  release  from 
the  army,  and  sent  him  a  cadet's  warrant  to  West  Point. 

It  seems  to  be  definitely  established  that  at  no  time  dur 
ing  these  years  did  Poe  live  an  orderly  and  regular  life.  He 
undoubtedly  traveled  much,  possibly  as  a  sailor,  for  he 
could  not  have  afforded  the  transportation  of  a  tourist, 
and  some  time  must  have  been  spent  in  the  United  States, 
outside  the  army,  as  his  Boston  connection  makes  evident. 
In  whatever  way  the  Perry  record  was  used,  it  did  not 
fully  represent  Poe's  life  during  the  whole  of  this  time. 

These  facts  of  his  life  history  would  be  of  great  patho 
logic  value  could  they  be  traced :  they  might  show  the  slow 
growth  of  the  poisonous  vine  that  later  encircled  and 
bound  him,  and  finally  crushed  him  in  its  vicious  embrace. 
Such  a  disease  as  that  from  which  Poe  suffered  is  most 
insidious  in  its  approach.  The  liberties  indulged  in  youth 
and  the  lack  of  restraint,  laid  a  foundation  which  later  no 
will-power  could  overcome,  and  which  exacted  a  price  of 
misery,  depression  and  suffering  from  its  victim  that  passes 
human  understanding. 

The  only  thing  to  which  Poe  remained  constant  during 
these  years  of  stress  and  storm  was  his  love  of  good 
literature. 

At  about  the  time  Poe  entered  West  Point  he  began  a 
correspondence  with  Neal,  editor  of  "The  Yankee."  In 
the  issue  for  December,  1829,  and  in  answer  to  a  slur 
ring  notice  concerning  one  of  his  poems,  referred  to  in 
the  number  for  September,  Poe  thus  wrote: 

I  am  about  to  publish  a  volume  of  poems,  the  greatest  part 
written  before  I  was  fifteen.  Speaking  about  'heaven'  the  editor  of 


POE:  A  PSYCHOPATHIC  STUDY 

the  'Yankee'  said:  'He  might  write  a  beautiful  if  not  a  magnificent 
poem' — the  very  first  words  of  encouragement  I  ever  remember  to 
have  heard.  I  am  certain  that,  so  far,  I  have  not  written  either,  but 
that  I  can,  I  will  take  my  oath,  if  they  will  only  give  me  time. 

Poe  quotes  only  the  concluding  paragraph.  What  "The 
Yankee"  really  said  was: 

If  E.  A.  P.  of  Baltimore — whose  lines  about  heaven,  though  he 
seems  to  regard  them  as  altogether  superior  to  anything  in  the  whole 
range  of  American  poetry,  save  two  or  three  trifles  referred  to,  are, 
though  nonsense,  rather  exquisite  nonsense — would  but  do  himself 
justice,  might  make  a  beautiful  and  perhaps  magnificent  poem. 

If  these  are  the  "very  first  words  of  encouragement", 
then  Poe's  poetic  genius  must  have  budded  in  a  literary 
frost.  After  declaring  there  is  much  to  justify  hope  and 
quoting  several  stanzas  that  any  Poe  lover  would  regard 
as  typically  and  Poesquely  melodic,  the  review  ends  with 
these  lines: 

"The  Moonlight 

falls- 
Over  hamlets,  over  halls, 
Wherever  they  may  be, 
O'er  the  strange  woods,  o'er  the  sea 
O'er  the  spirits  on  the  wing, 
O'er  every  drowsy  thing — 
And  buried  them  up  quite, 
In  a  labyrinth  of  light, 
And  then  how  deep!  Oh  deep  I 
Is  the  passion  of  their  sleep! 

He  should  have  signed  it  Bah!  We  have  no  room  for  others. 
The  events  of  Poe's  life  for  the  two  years  following  his 
expulsion  from  West  Point  are  as  great  a  mystery  as 
those  of  the  years  preceding  his  admittance.  Apparently 
these  two  periods  have  become  inextricably  intermixed  as 
to  details,  and  many  events  said  to  have  occurred  in  the 
first  period  are  certainly  duplicated  in  the  last.  It  seems 
that  Poe  did  at  one  time  enlist  in  the  army,  and  that  he 
could  only  obtain  his  discharge  by  inducing  Allan  to 


POE:  A  PSYCHOPATHIC  STUDY        23 

supply  a  substitute.  If,  as  seems  probable,  this  enlistment 
preceded  Poe's  entrance  to  West  Point,  it  would  disprove 
Woodberry's  contention  as  to  the  identity  of  Poe  and  Perry. 

The  second  Mrs.  Allan  wrote : 

As  regards  Edgar  Poe,  of  my  own  knowledge  I  know  nothing; 
I  only  saw  him  twice;  but  all  I  heard  of  him,  from  those  who  had 
lived  with  him,  was  a  tissue  of  ingratitude,  fraud  and  deceit.  Mr. 
Poe  had  not  lived  under  Mr.  Allan's  roof  for  two  years  before  my 
marriage  (1830)  and  no  one  knew  his  whereabouts;  his  letters,  which 
were  very  scarce,  were  dated  from  St.  Petersburgh,  Russia,  although 
he  had  enlisted  in  the  army  at  Boston. 

The  little  that  is  known  concerning  this  incident,  as  well 
as  many  other  facts  of  Poe's  life  at  that  time,  are  held  in 
letters  contained  in  the  archives  of  the  Valentine  Museum 
of  Richmond.  While  the  contents  are  known,  and  while 
apparently  they  do  not  reflect  seriously  on  Poe,  they  are 
said  to  contain  certain  passages  involving  persons  or 
families  still  in  Richmond,  and  for  that  reason  they  have 
not  been  made  public.  Concealment  of  any  kind  is  in  all 
cases  unfortunate :  whatever  may  or  may  not  be  the  result 
of  future  investigation,  there  is  always  a  tendency  to 
exaggerate  the  most  ordinary  and  every-day  events,  and 
the  smallest  fact  may  be  magnified  into  an  unwarrantable 
statement. 

Possibly  Poe  spent  a  part  of  his  time  in  Europe,  although 
it  is  improbable  that  the  distorted  account  he  related  to 
Mrs.  Shew,  during  one  of  his  mental  attacks,  regarding 
these  European  experiences,  is  to  be  taken  as  literally  true. 

At  least  for  some  months  Poe  did  live  in  Baltimore  and 
Richmond,  and  many  definite  details  of  his  residence  in 
those  two  cities  are  known. 

It  is  certain  that  Poe's  mental  capacity  fully  developed 
during  this  period,  and  that  when  he  appeared  before  John 
H.  Kennedy  he  had  reached  the  zenith  of  his  intellectual 
power. 

It  was  the  Golden  Age  of  his  literary  achievement,  and 


24        POE:  A  PSYCHOPATHIC  STUDY 

that  his  genius  and  capacity  had  reached  their  full 
development  is  proved  by  the  quality  and  quantity  of 
tales  that  were  included  in  the  "Folio  Club".  It  was  this 
marvelous  collection  of  stories  that  gained  for  him  not 
only  literary  recognition,  but  what  at  that  time  was 
apparently  needed  more — money  for  the  commonest  neces 
saries  of  life.  Not  only  was  he  ill-clad,  but,  apparently,  he 
had  not  enough  food  for  his  proper  nourishment. 

The  cause  of  this  destitution  was  undoubtedly  his 
serious  and  repeated  seizures  by  his  hereditary  malady. 
From  this  time  on  we  know  every  important  event  of  Poe's 
life,  and  both  his  misfortunes  and  his  successes  have 
been  minutely  described.  We  find  running  through  these 
statements  accounts  of  intercurrent  attacks  of  sickness 
which  incapacitated  him  for  days  or  weeks,  at  first 
infrequent  but  slowly  increasing  in  number  and  severity 
until  we  have  a  classical  picture  of  typical  dipsomania,  with 
its  accompanying  depressions  and  mental  abnormalities. 
This  tells  the  story  of  the  evil  that  pursued  him  and  con 
tinually  thwarted  the  best  of  intentions,  and  which  made 
his  life  a  series  of  financial  struggles  and  failures.  What 
ever  was  the  cause  it  is  certain  that  Poe  was  in  desperate 
need. 

Poe  probably  was  not  idle,  and  could  we  obtain  all  the 
facts,  or  the  contemporary  magazines  that  contained  these 
"facts,"  we  should  probably  find  much  that  could  rightly 
be  attributed  to  Poe.  So  far  as  I  know,  Poe  never  signed 
his  name  to  an  article,  and  only  occasionally  did  he  use 
even  his  initials.  It  is  certain  that  he  later  republished 
and  preserved  whatever  he  believed  to  be  worthy  of  public 
recognition. 

The  marvelous  mental  transformation  which  certainly 
did  take  place  between  the  publication  of  Al  Aaraaf, 
when  Poe  was  twenty,  and  his  appearance  at  the  age  of 
twenty-four,  when  he  presented  Kennedy  with  his  Tales 


POE:  A  PSYCHOPATHIC  STUDY        25 

of  the  Folio  Club,  cannot  be  accounted  for  by  studying 
"The  Best  Hundred  Authors",  or  that  five-foot  shelf  so 
extensively  and  adroitly  advertised.  Exactly  what  hast 
ened  the  flowering  of  the  genius  with  which  nature  en 
dowed  him  we  do  not  know ;  but  we  must  count  the  years 
between  1832  and  1840,  when  Poe,  according  to  mortality 
tables,  was  still  a  very  young  man,  as  those  of  his  full 
maturity.  Other  writers  have  developed  as  early  and 
shown  more  pronodnced  maturity  at  the  same  age.  Tamer 
lane  can,  in  no  way,  compare  with  "Queen  Mab,"  which 
Shelley  wrote  when  he  was  eighteen ;  yet  these  crude  pro 
ductions  were  the  harbingers  of  greater  achievements. 
There  is  necessarily  some  smoke  and  sputter  before  the 
rocket  bursts  with  its  scintillating  brilliants. 

In  spite  of  the  aid  given  Poe  by  his  guardian,  and  the 
literary  position  gained  by  his  Tales  of  the  Folio  Club,  his 
periodical  seizures  alienated  many  of  his  friends;  and  he 
was  compelled  to  call  on  his  literary  discoverer,  Kennedy, 
who  thus  writes : 

It  is  many  years  ago,  I  think  perhaps  as  early  as  1833  or  1834,  that 
I  found  him  in  Baltimore  in  a  state  of  starvation.  I  gave  him  clothes, 
free  access  to  my  table,  and  the  use  of  horses  for  exercise  whenever 
he  chose,  in  fact  brought  him  up  from  the  very  edge  of  despair. 

The  many  indiscretions  with  which  Poe  is  charged  at 
this  time,  and  which  had  changed  into  enemies  some  of 
his  former  friends,  were  the  result  of  his  hereditary  in 
firmity. 

It  must  be  remembered  that  dipsomania  is  not  only 
periodical  in  its  seizures,  but  that,  even  in  its  earliest 
manifestations,  the  patient  is  not  responsible,  and  that  his 
actions  may  outrage  friends  who  assume  those  things  to 
be  vicious  which  are  the  result  of  disease. 

While  Woodberry  has  covered  all  the  controversial  life 
of  Poe,  and  has  fully — almost  too  fully — stated  the  acts 
on  which  Griswold  based  his  defamatory  statements, 


26        POE:  A  PSYCHOPATHIC  STUDY 

neither  Woodberry  nor  any  other  biographer  has  given 
full  consideration  to  the  heredity,  the  obsessions,  the  com 
pulsions,  the  frequently  recurring  spells  of  depression,  and 
the  nervous  seizures  which  are  a  part  of  Poe's  psychology, 
and  on  which  we  must  base  the  explanation  of  these  acts. 

For  this  reason  I  shall  sketch  Poe's  literary  work  only  as 
far  as  it  exhibits  mental  disturbance.  I  must  discuss  the 
physical  facts  as  they  affected  his  somatic  life  and  ended 
in  his  early  death. 

Undoubtedly  the  necessity  for  some  form  of  mental 
excitement  manifested  itself  early,  as  the  records  of  the 
life  Poe  led  at  the  University  of  Virginia  and  at  West  Point, 
both  as  to  gambling  and  drinking,  attest. 

It  is  entirely  possible  that  the  manners  and  customs  of 
those  days,  as  well  as  the  stimulants  which,  even  as  a 
child,  were  given  Poe,  early  developed  the  appetite  that 
was  by  inheritance  a  part  of  him.  It  is,  in  my  judgment, 
certain  that,  even  without  this  environment,  there  was  a 
morbid  predisposition  which,  sooner  or  later,  would  have 
overwhelmed  him.  His  disappearance  for  two  or  three 
years,  and  the  fact  that  his  changed  facial  appearance  and 
his  striking  personality  could  not  have  been  recently 
acquired,  make  me  believe  that  those  years  were  not 
passed  faithfully  and  temperately  serving  in  the  army,  as 
we  know  that  Perry  did  serve.  We  must  believe  that, 
during  this  time,  Poe  rapidly  developed  intellectually,  even 
if  he  deteriorated  morally;  and  this  necessarily  indicates 
that,  although  there  might  have  been  periods  of  nervous 
disturbance,  they  were  not  continuous,  and,  as  is  the  rule 
in  such  cases,  that  this  disease  was  slowly  assuming  the 
periodical  character  it  usually  manifests. 

The  first  definite  evidence  we  have  of  this  progressive 
mental  change  is  in  a  letter  Poe  wrote  to  Kennedy  in  1835 : 

Excuse  me,  my  dear  Sir,  if  in  this  letter  you  find  much  incoher- 
ency.  .  .  .  My  feelings  at  this  moment  are  pitiable  indeed.  I  am 


POE:  A  PSYCHOPATHIC  STUDY        27 

suffering  under  a  depression  of  spirits  such  as  I  have  never  before 
suffered.  I  have  struggled  in  vain  against  the  influence  of  this  melan 
choly — you  will  believe  me,  when  I  say  that  I  am  miserable  in  spite  of 
the  great  improvement  in  my  circumstances.  I  say  that  you  will  be 
lieve  me,  and  for  this  simple  reason,  that  a  man  who  is  writing  for 
effect  does  not  write  thus.  My  heart  is  open  before  you — if  it  be  worth 
reading,  read  it.  I  am  wretched,  and  know  not  why.  Console  me, — for 
you  can.  But  let  it  be  quickly  or  it  will  be  too  late.  Convince  me  that 
it  is  worth  one's  while — that  it  is  at  all  necessary  to  live,  and  you 
will  prove  yourself  indeed  my  friend.  Persuade  me  to  do  what  is  right. 
I  do  not  mean  this.  I  do  not  mean  that  you  should  consider  what  I 
now  write  you  a  jest — oh,  pity  me !  for  I  feel  that  my  words  are  inco 
herent — but  I  will  recover  myself.  You  will  not  fail  to  see  that  I  am 
suffering  under  depression  of  spirits  which  will  ruin  me  should  it  be 
long  continued.  Write  me  then  and  quickly.  Urge  me  to  do  what  is 
right.  Fail  not — as  you  value  your  peace  of  mind  hereafter. 

These  cries  of  agony  are  not  unusual  in  the  writings  of 
men  of  genius,  and  an  intimate  study  of  their  lives  shows 
that  many  of  them  suffered  from  periodical  depression  and 
various  mental  obsessions,  which  at  times  amounted  to 
absolute  disease.  It  is  a  phase  in  the  life  history  of  many 
who  possess  this  heredity,  and  some  cannot  resist  the  call. 

Tolstoi  in  his  "Confessions,"  John  Stuart  Mill  in  his 
"Autobiography,"  George  Eliot,  De  Quincey,  Shelley  and 
many  other  writers  describe  these  critical  periods. 

Tolstoi  tells  us  that  his  desires  as  to  life,  and  his  views  of 
death,  were  reversed : 

The  thought  of  suicide  came  to  me  as  naturally  as  had  come  be 
fore  the  ideas  of  improving  life.  That  thought  was  so  seductive  that  I 
had  to  use  cunning  against  myself,  lest  I  should  rashly  execute  it. 
At  such  times,  I,  a  happy  man,  hid  a  rope  from  myself,  so  that  I 
should  not  hang  myself  on  a  cross-beam  between  two  closets  in  my 
room,  and  did  not  go  out  hunting  with  a  gun  in  order  not  to  be 
tempted  by  an  easy  way  of  doing  away  with  myself. 

...  I  had  a  good,  loving  and  beloved  wife,  good  children  and  a 
large  estate.  I  was  respected  by  my  neighbors  and  friends,  was 
praised  by  strangers  and,  without  any  self  deception,  could  consider 
my  name  famous.  With  all  that,  I  was  not  deranged  or  mentally 


28        POE. -A  PSYCHOPATHIC  STUDY 

unsound;  on  the  contrary  I  was  in  the  full  command  of  my  mental, 
and  physical  powers,  such  as  I  had  rarely  met  with  in  men  of  my 
age,  .  .  .  and  while  in  this  condition  I  arrived  at  the  conclusion  that 
I  could  not  live  and,  fearing  death,  I  had  to  use  cunning  against  myself, 
in  order  that  I  might  not  take  my  life.  .  .  .  Long  ago  has  been  told 
the  Eastern  Story  about  the  traveller  who  in  the  Steppe  is  overtaken 
by  an  infuriated  beast.  Trying  to  save  himself  from  this  animal  the 
traveller  jumps  into  a  waterless  well  but  at  the  bottom  he  sees  a  dragon 
who  opens  his  jaws  in  order  to  swallow  him.  And  the  unfortunate  man 
does  not  dare  climb  out  lest  he  perish  from  the  infuriated  beast,  and 
does  not  dare  jump  down  to  the  bottom  of  the  well,  lest  he  be  de 
voured  by  the  dragon,  and  so  clutches  the  twig  of  a  wild  bush  growing 
in  the  cleft  of  the  wall  and  holds  on  to  it.  His  hands  grow  weak  and 
he  feels  that  he  must  soon  surrender  to  the  peril  that  awaits  him  on 
either  side;  but  he  still  holds  on  and  sees  two  mice,  one  white  and  the 
other  black,  in  even  measure  making  a  circle  around  the  main  trunk 
of  the  bush  to  which  he  is  clinging,  and  nibbling  at  it  on  all  sides. 
Now  at  any  moment  the  bush  will  break  and  be  torn  off  and  he 
will  fall  into  the  dragon's  jaws.  The  traveller  sees  this  and  knows  he 
will  inevitably  perish,  and  while  he  is  still  clinging,  he  sees  some  drops 
of  honey  hanging  on  the  leaves  of  the  bush,  and  so  reaches  out  to 
them,  and  with  his  tongue  he  licks  the  leaves.  Just  so  I  hold  on  to 
this  branch  of  life,  knowing  that  the  dragon  of  death  is  inevitably 
waiting  for  me,  ready  to  tear  me  into  pieces,  and  I  cannot  understand 
why  I  have  fallen  on  such  suffering.  And  I  try  to  lick  that  honey, 
which  used  to  give  me  pleasure;  but  now  it  no  longer  gives  me  joy, 
and  the  white  mouse  and  the  black  mouse,  day  and  night,  nibble  at 
the  branch  to  which  I  am  holding.  I  clearly  see  the  dragon  and  the 
honey  is  no  longer  sweet  to  me.  I  see  only  the  inevitable  dragon  and 
the  mice,  and  I  am  unable  to  turn  my  glance  away  from  them.  This  is 
not  a  fable  but  a  veritable,  indisputable,  comprehensible  truth. 

This  is  the  cry  of  a  lost  soul,  and  I  know  nothing  more 
pathetic,  or  that  better  describes  the  mental  torture  from 
which  such  patients  suffer.  This  desire  for  death  is  a 
psychological  problem  and  admits  of  many  solutions. 
Perhaps  the  best  is  that  given  by  one  of  our  greatest  poets : 

Whatever  crazy  sorrow  saith, 

No  life  that  breathes  with  human  breath 

Has  ever  truly  long'd  for  death. 


POE:  A  PSYCHOPATHIC  STUDY        29 

Tis  life,  whereof  our  nerves  are  scant, 
Oh  Life,  not  Death,  for  which  we  pant, 
More  life,  and  fuller,  that  I  want. 

Tennyson  could  not  have  written  The  Two  Voices  had 
he  not  passed  through  some  such  experience.  It  is  the  cry 
of  a  soul-obsessed  melancholiac. 

Shelley  expresses  his  own  abnormal  sensations  in  a 
somewhat  different  manner : 

My  feelings  at  intervals  are  of  a  deadly  and  torpid  kind,  or  awak 
ened  to  such  a  degree  of  unnatural  and  keen  excitement,  that  only  to 
instance  the  organ  of  sight,  I  find  the  very  blades  of  grass  and  the 
boughs  of  distant  trees  present  themselves  to  me  with  microscopic 
distinctness.  Towards  evening  I  sink  into  a  state  of  lethargy  and 
inanimation,  and  often  remain  for  hours  on  the  sofa  between  sleep 
and  waking,  a  prey  to  the  most  painful  irritability  of  thought.  Such, 
with  little  intermission,  is  my  condition. 

John  Stuart  Mill,  in  his  Autobiography,  thus  describes  a 
period  of  mental  depression : 

I  was  in  a  dull  state  of  nerves,  such  as  everybody  is  occasionally 
liable  to;  .  .  .the  state,  I  should  think,  in  which  converts  to  Metho 
dism  usually  are,  when  smitten  by  their  first  'conviction  of  sin.' 

In  this  frame  of  mind  it  occurred  to  me  to  put  the  question  directly 
to  myself:  'Suppose  that  all  your  objects  in  life  were  realized;  .  .  . 
would  this  be  a  great  joy  and  happiness  to  you?'  And  an  irrepres 
sible  self-consciousness  distinctly  answered,  'no!'  At  this  my  heart 
sank  within  me:  the  whole  foundation  on  which  my  life  was  con 
structed  fell  down.  ...  I  seemed  to  have  nothing  left  to  live  for. 

At  first  I  had  hoped  that  the  cloud  would  pass  away  of  itself; 
but  it  did  not.  ...  I  carried  it  with  me  into  all  companies,  into  all 
occupations.  .  .  .  For  some  months  the  cloud  seemed  to  grow  thicker 
and  thicker.  The  lines  in  Coleridge's  'Dejection'  exactly  described 
my  case : 

'A  grief  without  a  pang,  void,  dark  and  drear, 
A  drowsy,  stifled,  unimpassioned  grief, 
Which  finds  no  natural  outlet  or  relief 
In  word,  or  sigh,  or  tear.' 

In  vain  I  sought  relief  from  my  favorite  books,  ...  I  read  them 
now  without  feeling,  or  with  the  accustomed  feeling  minus  all  its 


30        POE:  A  PSYCHOPATHIC  STUDY 

charm:  ...  I  was  thus  left  stranded  at  the  commencement  of  my 
voyage,  with  a  well  equipped  ship  and  rudder  but  no  sail.  ...  I  had 
had  some  gratification  of  vanity  at  too  early  an  age ;  I  had  attained 
some  distinction,  and  felt  myself  of  some  importance,  before  the  desire 
of  distinction  and  importance  had  grown  into  a  passion.  The  fountains 
of  vanity  and  ambitions  seemed  to  have  dried  up  within  me,  as  com 
pletely  as  those  of  benevolence.  These  were  the  thoughts  that  mingled 
with  the  dry  heavy  dejection  of  the  melancholy  winter  of  1826-27. 
...  In  all  probability  my  case  was  not  so  peculiar  as  I  had  imagined 
it,  and  I  doubt  not  that  many  others  have  passed  through  a  similar 
state.  ...  I  frequently  asked  myself,  if  I  could,  or  if  I  was  bound  to 
go  on  living,  when  life  must  be  passed  in  this  manner.  I  generally 
answered  to  myself,  that  I  did  not  think  I  could  possibly  bear  it  be 
yond  a  year.  When,  however,  not  more  than  half  that  duration  of 
time  had  elapsed,  a  small  ray  of  light  broke  in  upon  my  gloom.  .  .  . 
Relieved  from  my  ever  present  sense  of  irremediable  wretchedness,  I 
gradually  found  that  the  ordinary  incidents  of  life  could  again  give 
me  some  pleasure;  that  I  could  again  find  enjoyment,  not  intense,  but 
sufficient  for  cheerfulness,  in  sunshine  and  sky,  in  books,  in  conver 
sation,  in  public  affairs;  .  .  .  thus  the  cloud  gradually  drew  off,  and 
I  again  enjoyed  life;  and  though  I  had  several  relapses,  some  of 
which  lasted  for  months,  I  never  again  was  as  miserable  as  I  had 
been. 

Mill  was  right  in  believing  that  many  others  had 
"passed  through  a  similar  state."  But  not  all  have  the  for 
titude  to  bear  it  so  patiently,  and  allow  time  to  conquer  so 
victoriously. 

De  Quincey,  in  a  letter  he  wrote  to  Miss  Mitford, 
attempts  to  make  plain  the  mental  agony  from  which  he 
occasionally  suffered : 

No  purpose  could  be  answered  by  my  vainly  endeavouring  to 
make  intelligible  for  my  daughters  what  I  cannot  make  intelligible  for 
myself — the  undecipherable  horror  that  night  and  day  broods  over 
my  nervous  system.  One  effect  of  this  is  to  cause,  at  uncertain  inter 
vals,  such  whirlwinds  of  impatience  as  precipitate  me  violently, 
whether  I  will  or  not,  into  acts  that  would  seem  insanities,  but  are 
not  such  in  fact,  as  my  understanding  is  never  under  any  delusion. 
Whatever  I  am  writing  suddenly  becomes  overspread  with  a  dark 
frenzy  of  horror.  I  am  using  words,  perhaps,  that  are  tautologic ;  but  it 


POE:  A  PSYCHOPATHIC  STUDY        31 

is  because  no  language  can  give  expression  to  the  sudden  storm  of 
frightful  revelations  opening  upon  me  from  an  eternity  not  coming, 
but  past  and  irrevocable.  Whatever  I  may  have  been  writing  is  sud 
denly  wrapt,  as  it  were,  in  one  sheet  of  consuming  fire — the  very  paper 
is  poisoned  to  my  eyes.  I  cannot  endure  to  look  at  it,  and  I  sweep  it 
away  into  vast  piles  of  unfinished  letters,  or  inchoate  essays  begun  and 
interrupted  under  circumstances  the  same  in  kind,  though  differing 
unaccountably  in  degree.  .  .  .  One  inevitable  suggestion  at  first  arose 
to  everybody  consulted — viz.,  that  it  might  be  some  horrible  recoil 
from  the  long  habit  of  using  opium  to  excess.  But  this  seems  improba 
ble  for  more  reasons  that  one.  1st.  Because  previously  to  any  consid 
erable  abuse  of  opium  — viz.,  in  the  year  1812, — I  suffered  an  unac 
countable  attack  of  nervous  horror  which  lasted  for  five  months,  and 
went  off  in  one  night  as  unaccountably  as  it  had  first  come  on  in  one 
second  of  time.  I  was  at  that  time  perfectly  well. 

DeQuincey,  Coleridge,  Lamb,  Swinburne,  and  others 
did  not  hesitate  to  use  opium  and  other  narcotizing  drugs 
as  well  as  stimulants  to  ease  these  prenatally  induced 
pains. 

Are  there  not  mortals  suffering  from  morbid  mental 
states  who  inhabit  a  Kingdom  undiscovered  to  most  of  us : 
those  sensitive  of  soul  and  endowed  with  an  abnormal  per 
ception  and  a  spirit  of  unrest? — a  coterie  of  Sensitives 
who  wear  the  fetters  of  heredity,  and  who  can  neither  be 
measured  by  man-made  standards,  nor  judged  by  pre 
vailing  customs,  nor  bound  by  our  moral  laws ;  who  worship 
at  a  shrine  more  earthy  natures  can  not  perceive?  It  is 
possible  that  they  are  presided  over  by  a  priestess  whose 
arch- votary  thus  describes  her : 

Hush!  whisper  whilst  we  talk  of  her! 

Her  kingdom  is  not  large,  or  else  no  flesh  should  live;  but  within 
that  kingdom  all  power  is  hers.  Her  head,  turreted  like  that  of  Cybele, 
rises  almost  beyond  the  reach  of  sight.  She  droops  not;  and  her  eyes 
rising  so  high  might  be  hidden  by  distance.  But,  being  what  they  are, 
they  cannot  be  hidden;  through  the  treble  veil  of  crape  which  she 
wears,  the  fierce  light  of  a  blazing  misery,  that  rests  not  for  matins  or 
vespers,  for  noon  of  day  or  noon  of  night,  for  ebbing  or  for  flowing 
tide,  may  be  read  from  the  very  ground.  She  is  the  defier  of  God.  She 


32        POE:  A  PSYCHOPATHIC  STUDY 

also  is  the  mother  of  lunacies,  and  the  suggestress  of  suicides.  Deep  lie 
the  roots  of  her  power;  but  narrow  is  the  nation  that  she  rules.  For 
she  can  approach  only  those  in  whom  a  profound  nature  has  been 
upheaved  by  central  convulsions;  in  whom  the  heart  trembles  and 
the  brain  rocks  under  conspiracies  of  tempest  from  without  and 
tempest  from  within.  She  moves  with  incalculable  motions,  bound 
ing,  and  with  a  tiger's  leaps.  She  carries  no  key;  for,  though  coming 
rarely  amongst  men,  she  storms  all  doors  at  which  she  is  permitted 
to  enter  at  all.  And  her  name  is  Mater  Tenebrarum, — Our  Lady  of 
Darkness. 

Was  it  this  same  Kingdom  that  Poe  glimpsed  in  his 
Vision:  Slope?* 

'Listen  to  me ',  said  the  Demon,  as  he  placed  his  hand  upon  my 
head.  There  is  a  spot  upon  this  accursed  earth  which  thou  hast 
never  yet  beheld.  And  if  by  any  chance  thou  hast  beheld  it,  it  must 
have  been  in  one  of  those  vigorous  dreams  which  come  like  the 
Simoon  upon  the  brain  of  the  sleeper  who  hath  lain  down  to  sleep 
among  the  forbidden  sunbeams — among  the  sunbeams,  I  say,  which 
slide  from  off  the  solemn  columns  of  the  melancholy  temples  in  the 
wilderness.  The  region  of  which  I  speak  is  a  dreary  region  in  Lybia, 
by  the  borders  of  the  river  Zaire.  And  there  is  no  quiet  there,  nor 
silence. 

The  waters  of  the  river  have  a  saffron  and  sickly  hue — and  they 
flow  not  onwards  to  the  sea,  but  palpitate  forever  and  forever  beneath 
the  red  eye  of  the  sun  with  a  tumultuous  and  convulsive  motion.  For 
many  miles  on  either  side  of  the  river's  oozy  bed  is  a  pale  desert  of 
gigantic  water-lilies.  They  sigh  one  unto  the  other  in  that  solitude, 
and  stretch  towards  the  heaven  their  long  ghastly  necks,  and  nod  to 
and  fro  their  everlasting  heads.  And  there  is  an  indistinct  murmur 
which  cometh  out  from  among  them  like  the  rushing  of  subterrene 
water.  And  they  sigh  one  unto  the  other.  .  .  .  And  the  tall  primoeval 
trees  rock  eternally  hither  and  thither  with  a  crashing  and  mighty 
sound.  And  from  their  high  summits,  one  by  one,  drop  everlasting 
dews.  And  at  their  roots  strange  poisonous  flowers  lie  writhing  in  per 
turbed  slumber.  And  overhead,  with  a  rustling  and  loud  noise  the 
grey  clouds  rush  westwardly  forever,  until  they  roll,  a  cataract,  over 
the  fiery  wall  of  the  horizon.  But  there  is  no  wind  throughout  the 
heaven.  And  by  the  shores  of  the  river  Zaire  there  is  neither  quiet  nor 
silence. 

*First  Version  Baltimore  Book  1838.     Compare  page  265. 


POE:  A  PSYCHOPATHIC  STUDY        33 

'It  was  night,  and  the  rain  fell;  and,  falling,  it  was  rain,  but, 
having  fallen,  it  was  blood.  .  .  . 

'And,  all  at  once,  the  moon  arose  through  the  thin  ghastly  mist, 
and  was  crimson  in  color.  And  mine  eyes  fell  upon  a  huge  grey  rock 
which  stood  by  the  shore  of  the  river,  and  was  litten  by  the  light  of  the 
moon.  And  the  rock  was  grey,  and  ghastly,  and  tall, — and  the  rock 
was  grey.  Upon  its  front  were  characters  engraven  in  the  stone;  .  .  . 
and  the  characters  were  DESOLATION. 

'And  I  looked  upwards,  and  there  stood  a  man  upon  the  summit 
of  the  rock.  .  .  .  And  the  outlines  of  his  figure  were  indistinct — but 
his  features  were  the  features  of  a  Deity ;  for  the  mantle  of  the  night, 
and  of  the  mist,  and  of  the  moon,  and  of  the  dew,  had  left  uncovered 
the  features  of  his  face.  And  his  brow  was  lofty  with  thought,  and  his 
eye  wild  with  care ;  and  in  the  few  furrows  upon  his  cheek,  I  read  the 
fables  of  sorrow,  and  weariness,  and  disgust  with  mankind,  and  a  long 
ing  after  solitude.  .  .  .  He  looked  down  into  the  low  unquiet  shrub 
bery,  and  up  into  the  tall  primoeval  trees,  and  up  higher  at  the 
rustling  heaven,  and  into  the  crimson  moon.  .  .  . 

'And  the  man  turned  his  attention  from  the  heaven,  and  looked 
out  upon  the  dreary  river  Zaire,  and  upon  the  yellow  ghastly  waters, 
and  upon  the  pale  legions  of  the  water-lilies. 

Then  I  cursed  the  elements  with  the  curse  of  tumult;  and  a 
frightful  tempest  gathered  in  the  heaven  where  before  there  had  been 
no  wind,  and  the  heaven  became  livid  with  the  violence  of  the  tempest 
— and  the  rain  beat  upon  the  head  of  the  man — and  the  floods  of  the 
river  came  down — and  the  river  was  tormented  into  foam — and  the 
water-lilies  shrieked  within  their  beds — and  the  forest  crumbled  before 
the  wind  — and  the  thunder  rolled — and  the  lightning  fell — and  the 
rock  rocked  to  its  foundation.  .  . 

Then  I  grew  angry  and  cursed,  with  the  curse  of  silence,  the  river, 
and  the  lilies, and  the  wind,  and  the  forest, and  the  heaven,  and  the 
thunder,  and  the  sighs  of  the  water-lilies.  And  they  became  accursed 
and  were  still.  And  the  moon  ceased  to  totter  in  its  pathway  up  the 
heaven — and  the  thunder  died  away — and  the  lightnings  did  not  flash 
— and  the  clouds  hung  motionless — and  the  waters  sunk  to  their  level 
and  remained — and  the  trees  ceased  to  rock — and  the  water-lilies 
sighed  no  more — and  the  murmur  was  heard  no  longer  from  among 
them,  nor  any  shadow  of  sound  throughout  the  vast  illimitable  desert. 
And  I  looked  upon  the  characters  of  the  rock,  and  they  were  changed 
— and  the  characters  were  SILENCE. 


34        POE.  A  PSYCHOPATHIC  STUDY 

'And  mine  eyes  fell  upon  the  countenance  of  the  man,  and  his 
countenance  was  wan  with  terror.  And,  hurriedly,  he  raised  his  head 
from  his  hand,  and  stood  forth  upon  the  rock,  and  listened.  But  there 
was  no  voice  throughout  the  vast  illimitable  desert,  and  the  char 
acters  upon  the  rock  were  SILENCE.  And  the  man  shuddered,  and 
turned  his  face  away,  and  fled  afar  off,  and  I  beheld  him  no  more/  .  . . 

Visions  such  as  these  are  not  for  normal  eyes,  but  may 
be  viewed,  though  dimly,  by  those  super-mortally  hyper- 
metropic,  and  who  must  pay  the  price  for  their  genius- 
gifted  inheritance.  Many  are  overcome  by  these  hereditary 
states  of  mental  depressions  and  compulsions,  and  suicide 
ends  their  mental  struggle. 

Can  we  blame  Poe  if  he  did  resort  to  alcohol  and  nar 
cotics  that  he  might  numb  such  morbid  mental  anguish  ? 
This  attack  which  he  described  was  probably  a  character 
istic  seizure,  and  others  followed  with  increasing  frequency. 
We  know  that  they  occurred  periodically  and,  occasionally, 
interrupted  his  work. 

In  1835  Poe  was  made  acting  editor  of  the  "Southern 
Literary  Messenger,"  owned  and  managed  by  T.  W.  White. 
These  lapses  apparently  interfered  with  his  duties.  They 
seriously  discommoded  White,  and  at  times  prevented 
the  prompt  issuance  of  the  magazine.  As  early  as  1835 
White  wrote  him : 

Would  that  it  were  in  my  power  to  unbosom  myself  to  you  in 
language  such  as  I  could,  on  the  present  occasion,  wish  myself  master 
of.  I  cannot  do  it — and  therefore  must  be  content  to  speak  to  you  in 
my  plain  way.  That  you  are  sincere  in  all  your  promises  I  firmly  be 
lieve.  But,  Edgar,  when  you  once  again  tread  these  streets,  I  have  my 
fears  that  your  resolves  would  fall  through,  and  that  you  would  again 
sip  the  juice,  even  till  it  stole  away  your  senses.  You  have  fine  talents, 
Edgar, — and  you  ought  to  have  them  respected  as  well  as  yourself. 
Learn  to  respect  yourself,  and  you  will  soon  find  that  you  are  respected. 
Separate  yourself  from  the  bottle,  and  bottle  companions,  forever ! 

Apparently  all  went  well  for  several  months.  In  1836 
Poe  wrote  to  his  friend  Kennedy,  evidently  with  his  former 
letter  in  mind : 


POE:  A  PSYCHOPATHIC  STUDY        35 

Mr.  White  is  very  liberal,  and  besides  my  salary  of  $520  pays  me 
liberally  for  extra  work,  so  that  I  receive  nearly  $800.  Next  year,  that 
is  at  the  commencement  of  the  second  volume,  I  am  to  get  $  1 ,000. 
Besides  this  I  receive,  from  Publishers,  nearly  all  new  publications. 
My  friends  in  Richmond  have  received  me  with  open  arms,  and  my 
reputation  is  extending — especially  in  the  South.  Contrast  all  this  with 
those  circumstances  of  absolute  despair  in  which  you  found  me,  and 
you  will  see  how  great  reason  I  have  to  feel  grateful  to  God — and  to 
yourself. 

Nothing  definite  is  known  as  to  the  exact  cause  that 
led  to  Poe's  expulsion  from  this  little  paradise.  Until  Janu 
ary,  1837,  he  acted  as  editor;  and  during  all  this  time  the 
"Messenger"  increased  in  circulation  and  became  recog 
nized  as  one  of  the  well  edited  magazines.  White  probably 
would  have  kept  his  promises,  and  would  have  continued 
the  association  indefinitely,  had  not  some  serious  inter- 
current  seizure  prevented.  While  this  cause  is  not  on 
record,  we  know  Poe's  infirmity,  and  so  it  is  not  difficult 
to  deduce  the  reason.  Poe  during  this  time  again  suffered 
from  depressive  seizures  and  probably  resorted  to  stimu 
lants.  White,  in  several  letters  he  wrote  to  Lucian  Minor, 
the  later  editor,  thus  refers  to  Poe : 

Poe  is  now  in  my  employ — not  as  editor.  He  is  unfortunately  rather 
dissipated — and  therefore  I  can  place  very  little  reliance  upon  him. 
His  disposition  is  quite  amiable.  He  will  be  of  some  assistance  to  me 
in  proofreading — at  least  I  hope  so. 

A  few  days  later  he  again  wrote : 

Poe  has  flew  the  track  already.  His  habits  were  not  good.  He  is  in 
addition  a  victim  of  melancholy.  I  should  not  be  at  all  astonished  to 
hear  that  he  had  been  guilty  of  suicide. 

From  these  letters  it  is  certain  that  Poe  was  unfitted  for 
work,  but  whether  this  was  due  to  the  fact  that  "Poe  has 
flew  the  track,"  or  to  his  depression,  which  might  in  time 
cause  him  to  be  "guilty  of  suicide,"  or  to  a  combination  of 
these  conditions  which  were  the  result  of  his  morbid  inheri 
tance,  is  an  immaterial  matter.  The  evil  predisposition  was 
slowly  asserting  sway  and  Poe  was  no  longer  entirely 


36        POE:  A  PSYCHOPATHIC  STUDY 

master  of  his  actions;  he  was  swayed  by  his  compelling 
neurosis. 

Kennedy  states : 

Poe  was  irregular,  eccentric  and  querulous  and  soon  gave  up  his 
place. 

Poe  in  writing  to  Snodgrass  as  to  his  habits  at  this  time 
said: 

For  a  brief  period,  while  I  resided  at  Richmond  and  edited  the 
'Messenger'  I  certainly  did  give  way,  at  long  intervals,  to  the  tempta 
tion  held  out  by  the  spirit  of  Southern  conviviality. 

My  sensitive  temperament  could  not  stand  an  excitement  which 
was  an  everyday  matter  to  my  companions.  In  short,  it  sometimes 
happened  that  I  was  completely  intoxicated.  For  some  days  after 
each  excess  I  was  completely  prostrated  and  invariably  confined  to 
my  bed. 

It  is  not  probable  that  this  separation  was  voluntary  on 
Poe's  part,  inasmuch  as  he  accepted  articles  for  the 
"Messenger"  several  days  after  his  connection  had  ceased, 
without  referring  to  the  fact  that  he  was  no  longer  in 
editorial  charge.  He  merely  said  that  his  delay  in  answering 
was  due  to  "ill  health  and  a  weight  of  varying  and  haras 
sing  business."  Apparently  Poe  still  hoped  to  resume  his 
former  connection.  Though  there  was  no  one  to  take  his 
position,  and  he  certainly  had  no  plans  for  the  future,  he 
resigned  from  the  "Messenger"  in  January,  1837,  leaving 
one  of  his  stories  unfinished,  and  issued  this  farewell  note : 

Mr.  Poe's  attention  being  called  in  another  direction,  he  will  de 
cline,  with  this  present  number,  the  editorial  duties  of  the  'Messenger.' 
.  .  .  With  the  best  wishes  to  the  magazine  and  to  its  few  foes  as  well 
as  to  its  many  friends,  he  is  now  desirous  of  bidding  all  parties  a 
peaceable  farewell. 

Apparently  White  recognized  and  sympathized  with  the 
disease  from  which  Poe  suffered.  At  the  same  time  he  must 
have  realized  the  impossibility  of  holding  Poe  to  routine 
work. 

There  was  developed  during  this  time  that  marvelous 


POE:  A  PSYCHOPATHIC  STUDY        37 

critical  faculty  which  gave  the '  'Messenger' '  the  right  to  be 
ranked  with  the  metropolitan  journals  of  New  York  and 
Philadelphia,  and  which  established  Poe  as  a  literary 
critic  of  the  very  highest  authority.  Time  has  fully  vin 
dicated  his  criticisms  of  the  great  and  the  near-great ;  and 
many  names  are  known  to  us,  not  because  Griswold  and 
Duyckinck  included  them  in  their  anthologies  and  the 
''Encyclopedia  of  American  Literature,"  but  because  they 
have  been  pilloried  by  Poe  in  his  "Marginalia"  and 
"Literati."  It  is  true  that  many  times  these  criticisms 
were  unnecessarily  caustic. 

Possibly  at  times  Poe  did  go  beyond  legitimate  criticism 
in  his  use  of  these  dissertations  as  a  conveyance  by  which 
he  imparted  his  own  theories  of  composition,  and  his  re 
jection  of  the  prevailing  modes  that  disfigured  our  early 
literature.  Fully  to  appreciate  the  enormity  of  these 
literary  crimes  one  must  read  the  "Lady  Book,"  the 
"Gentleman's  Magazine,"  the  "Burton's"  and  the  "Gra 
ham's"  of  those  days;  "The  Mirror"  with  Willis'  "Pencil- 
lings  by  the  Way,"  as  well  as  less  known  publications, 
such  as  "Snowdon's  Lady's  Companion,"  "The  Union 
Magazine,"  "The  American  Museum,"  and  other  con 
temporary  publications  with  their  reviews  and  trashy 
stories  and  sketches.  They  are,  of  all  Americana,  the  most 
difficult  to  collect  and,  when  found,  least  repay  the  search. 

Even  the  "Southern  Literary  Messenger"  and  "The 
Broadway  Journal,"  to  which  Poe  gave  a  distinct  value, 
are  rarely  to  be  found.  Most  of  these  periodicals  have 
been  dead  and  buried  these  many  years ;  and  the  stones 
marking  their  graves  are  so  overgrown  with  the  moss  of 
oblivion  that  soon  it  will  be  impossible  to  find  their  rest 
ing  place.  Except  as  "curiosities  of  American  literature," 
it  is  proper  that  they  should  be  forgotten,  save  only  when 
they  contain  the  Poe  contributions. 

Poe's  critical   faculty   was   such  that,    whatever  the 


38        POE:  A  PSYCHOPATHIC  STUDY 

cost,  however  hard  he  tried  to  soften  his  literary  judg 
ments  (at  times  Poe  did  fawn  when  the  wolf  pressed 
him  too  ferociously)  sooner  or  later  his  real  opinions  must 
have  utterance. 

For  this  reason  many  of  Poe's  contemporaries  held  him 
in  bitter  memory  and  were  easily  persuaded  to  believe  the 
evil  reports  that  were  circulated,  although  their  basis  was 
never  investigated  nor  properly  understood. 

We  know  nothing  of  Poe's  alcoholic  habits  between  his 
departure  from  Richmond  and  the  commencement  of  his 
association  with  Burton  in  the  conduct  of  the  "Gentle 
man's  Magazine,"  in  July,  1839.  This  is  probably  due  to 
the  fact  that  he  occupied  no  editorial  or  other  respon 
sible  position,  and  was  only  accountable  to  a  loving  and 
forgiving  wife  and  mother.  That  there  were  long  periods 
of  sobriety,  and  that  his  conduct  caused  no  remark,  is 
established  by  contemporary  evidence,  although  it  is  prob 
able  that  his  periodical  seizures  continued. 

Within  a  few  months  after  his  association  with  Burton 
we  find  letters  showing  that  these  attacks  again  were 
interfering  with  his  editorial  duties.  The  methodical, 
practical  Burton  could  not  sympathize  with  what  he 
believed  to  be  Poe's  melancholy  and  irritable  tempera 
ment;  and,  even  when  justified,  he  did  not  approve  of 
Poe's  critical  severity. 

I  am  not  trammelled  by  any  vulgar  consideration  of  expediency ; 
I  would  rather  lose  money  than  by  such  undue  severity  to  wound  the 
feelings  of  a  kind  hearted  and  honorable  man. 

This  was  in  a  letter  of  expostulation  Burton  wrote  to 
Poe,  occasioned  apparently  by  some  serious  misunder 
standing,  the  exact  nature  of  which  is  not  known.  Poe,  on 
the  other  hand,  held  Burton  in  the  supremest  contempt; 
not  because  he  was  an  actor,  but  because  of  his  literary 
pretensions. 

Evidently  Burton  had  made  some  statement,  possibly 


POE:  A  PSYCHOPATHIC  STUDY        39 

using  the  word  "drunkard"  in  describing  Poe's  alcoholic 
excesses;  for,  in  a  letter  which  Poe  wrote  Dr.  Snodgrass, 
soon  after  this  time,  and  from  which  I  have  already  quoted, 
he  says : 

I  would  institute  a  suit,  forthwith,  for  his  personal  defamation 
of  myself.  He  would  be  unable  to  prove  the  truth  of  his  allegations.  I 
could  prove  their  falsity  and  their  malicious  intent  by  witnesses  who, 
seeing  me  at  all  hours  of  every  day,  would  have  the  best  right  to 
speak — I  mean  Burton's  own  clerk,  Morell,  and  the  compositors  of 
the  printing  office.  I  should  obtain  damages.  But,  on  the  other  hand, 
I  have  never  been  scrupulous  as  to  what  I  have  said  of  him.  I  have 
always  told  him  to  his  face,  and  everybody  else,  that  I  looked  upon 
him  as  a  blackguard  and  a  villain.  This  is  notorious.  If  I  sue,  he  sues; 
you  see  how  it  is.  .  .  .  I  would  take  it  as  an  act  of  kindness — not  to 
say  justice  on  your  part,  if  you  would  see  the  gentleman  to  whom 
you  spoke  and  ascertain  with  accuracy  all  that  may  legally  avail  me, 
what  and  when  were  the  words  he  used.  .  .  . 

You  are  a  physician,  and  I  presume  no  physician  can  have  diffi 
culty  in  detecting  a  drunkard  at  a  glance.  You  are,  moreover,  a  liter 
ary  man  well  read  in  morals.  You  will  never  be  led  to  believe  that  I 
could  write  what  I  daily  write  as  I  write  it,  were  I  what  this  villain 
would  induce  those  who  know  me  not,  to  believe.  In  fine,  I  pledge 
you  before  God,  the  solemn  word  of  a  gentleman,  that  I  am  temper 
ate  even  to  rigor. 

The  statement  which  follows,  that  "nothing  stronger 
than  water  ever  passed  my  lips,"  could  only  refer  to  his 
period  of  sobriety  during  the  time  that  he  was  editor  of 
Burton's  magazine. 

This  passage  bears  evidence  of  having  been  written 
immediately  after  one  of  Poe's  attacks,  while  his  brain 
was  still  sore  from  congestion  due  to  over-indulgence,  and 
when  he  was  not  altogether  responsible  for  his  actions  or 
his  speech,  as  is  frequently  the  case  following  such  seizures. 

Between  these  attacks  the  best  of  resolutions  are  made, 
and  nothing  can  induce  such  patients  to  drink;  nor  have 
they  the  slightest  realization  of  their  true  condition  or  the 
danger  of  relapse.  In  addition  they  hotly  resent  criticism 


40        POE:  A  PSYCHOPATHIC  STUDY 

of  any  kind,  and  any  reference  to  their  habits  only  angers 
them.  Their  one  cry  is  that  they  have  completely  reformed, 
so  why  discuss  a  matter  that  is  definitely  and  unalterably 
settled?  In  their  own  opinion  their  cure  is  complete  and 
permanent. 

In  no  sense  can  Poe  be  considered  either  a  drunkard  or 
a  toper:  for  the  disease  is  periodical  in  its  seizures  and, 
between  the  attacks,  such  unfortunates  are  most  abstemi 
ous,  the  avoidance  of  alcohol  being  as  characteristic  as  is 
the  uncontrollable  desire  for  some  form  of  stimulant  or 
narcotic  when  their  nerve-storm  does  break.  Poe,  in  denying 
the  allegations,  was  self-deceived.  It  is  a  peculiarity  of 
such  persons  not  only  to  believe  that  they  have  com 
pletely  recovered,  but  also  to  resent  any  question  as  to 
permanency.  A  marked  example  of  this  was  the  functional 
heart  disturbance  Poe  at  times  exhibited,  which  was 
the  basis  for  Mrs.  Shew's  "diagnosis,"  on  which  she 
based  her  prognosis  of  Poe's  early  death.  After  the  tenth 
beat  of  Poe's  heart  there  was  an  intermission,  and  the 
discovery  of  this  intermittent  action  caused  her  profound 
worry.  Evidently  these  fears  were  communicated  to  Poe, 
for  the  doggerel  that  he  wrote,  which  his  eager  commen- 
mentators  have  offered  as  a  new  poem,  was  evidently  based 
on  this  fact.  Nature  is  a  curious  old  mother,  and  seems  to 
have  the  art  of  concealing  from  her  victims  the  most  hope 
less  and  incurable  of  her  diseased  manifestations.  On  the 
other  hand  she  magnifies  and  exaggerates  many  of  the 
purely  hysterical  symptoms. 

It  is  possible  for  the  wise  physician  to  base  his  diagnosis 
on  the  psychology  of  such  patients.  When  one  comes  com 
plaining  of  heart  disease,  counting  his  pulse,  and  fearing 
death  from  heart  failure,  I  feel  certain  that  I  have  to  deal 
with  a  neurasthenic  whose  heart  is  organically  sound,  but 
whose  pneumogastric  nervous  system  is  deranged,  and 
that  a  disturbed  stomach  is  the  organ  involved.  The  best 


POE:  A  PSYCHOPATHIC  STUDY        41 

evidence  I  can  have  that  persons  are  not  insane  is  their 
fear  that  insanity  is  developing;  or  that  they  have  not 
consumption,  when  they  magnify  the  slightest  bronchitis 
into  this  dread  disease.  On  the  other  hand,  when  it  is  ap 
parent  to  all  that  day  by  day  they  are  wasting  away,  such 
patients  cannot  be  made  to  realize  the  gravity  of  their  con 
dition,  and  frequently  buoy  the  hopes  of  their  friends  by 
this  courageous  attitude.  Spes  Phthisici  is  a  medical 
truism.  I  rarely  or  never  converse  with  an  insane  person 
who  believes  he  is  insane.  It  is  pitiful  to  watch  a  paretic 
who  builds  his  aircastles,  dreams  his  dreams  of  untold 
wealth  and  supreme  power,  yet  never  realizes  his  loss  of 
reflex  control  which  makes  him  a  source  of  disgust  and 
loathing  to  all  who  must  meet  him  and  minister  to  his 
necessities. 

In  spite  of  the  fact  that  Poe  resented  what  he  believed 
to  be  the  unjust  treatment  he  had  received,  Burton  did 
actively  interest  himself  in  securing  for  Poe  a  continuance 
of  the  editorial  duties  connected  with  a  new  magazine. 
This  had  resulted  from  combining  the  "Gentleman's" 
with  the  "Casket,"  and  it  was  to  be  issued  under  the 
title,  "Graham's  Magazine."  Poe,  however,  had  reached 
that  period  in  his  morbid  mental  life  when  he  was  not,  at 
all  times,  responsible  for  his  utterances,  and  there  were 
periods  when  he  no  longer  possessed  the  ability  to  dis 
criminate  between  criticism  kindly  meant  and  utterances 
really  slanderous. 

Although  Poe  had  left  Burton  voluntarily,  and  for  the 
purpose  of  establishing  a  magazine  of  his  own,  this  inten 
tion  was  abandoned  probably  because  there  was  an  inter- 
current  attack  of  his  old  malady.  Apparently  he  was  inca 
pacitated  for  several  weeks,  and,  on  his  recovery,  was 
employed  by  Graham  as  associate  editor  of  the  new 
magazine.  Necessarily,  there  must  have  been  long  periods 
of  sobriety,  for  much  good  work  in  the  way  of  stories, 


42        POE:  A  PSYCHOPATHIC  STUDY 

poems,  and  critical  reviews  by  Poe  now  appeared,  and 
Graham's  own  testimony  fully  establishes  the  kindly  rela 
tions  that  existed  between  them. 

Undoubtedly  there  were  lapses  that  caused  Poe  occas 
ionally  to  neglect  his  editorial  duties.  Once,  on  returning 
to  his  office  after  several  days'  absence,  he  found  Griswold 
occupying  his  chair.  Although  it  is  probable  Graham  in 
tended  this  to  be  only  a  temporary  arrangement,  Poe 
bitterly  resented  it,  as,  in  these  later  years,  he  did  most 
things  when  crossed,  and  refused  all  further  editorial  asso 
ciation.  Yet  he  and  Graham  remained  on  friendly  terms. 
Poe's  whole  ambition  and  effort  was  now  centered  on 
establishing  a  new  magazine  to  be  known  as  the  "Stylus," 
and  this  idea  became  an  obsession. 

About  this  same  time  he  had  under  consideration  a  gov 
ernment  position  in  Philadelphia,  where  he  expected  to 
publish  his  magazine.  He  went  to  Washington  with  the 
purpose  of  securing  subscribers  for  his  new  journal,  and 
also  of  obtaining  the  President's  sanction  for  this  appoint 
ment,  hoping  to  exert  influence  through  Tyler's  literary 
sons. 

Probably  he  would  have  succeeded  in  this  had  there  not 
been  a  return  of  his  old  "evil  possession."  A  friend  who 
became  alarmed  at  his  condition  because  he  feared  Poe 
might  injure  his  political  prospects,  wrote: 

He  arrived  here  a  few  days  since.  On  the  first  evening  he  seemed 
somewhat  excited,  having  been  overpersuaded  to  take  some  port 
wine.  On  the  second  day  he  kept  pretty  steady,  but  since  then  he  has 
been,  at  intervals,  quite  unreliable.  He  exposes  himself  here  to  those 
who  may  injure  him  very  much  with  the  President,  and  thus  prevent 
us  from  doing  for  him  what  we  wish  to  do  and  what  we  can  do  if  he  is 
himself  again  in  Philadelphia. 

.  .  .  Under  all  circumstances  of  the  case,  I  think  it  advisable  for 
you  to  come  and  see  him  safely  back  to  his  home. 

Poe's  own  explanation  is  as  follows: 

I  arrived  here  in  perfect  safety,  and  sober,  about  half  past  four  .  .  . 


POE:  A  PSYCHOPATHIC  STUDY        43 

I  went  immediately  home,  took  a  warm  bath  and  supper,  and  then 
went  to  Clarke's.  He  thought  by  Dow's  epistle  that  I  must  not  only 
be  dead  but  buried.  ...  I  told  him  what  had  been  agreed  on — that 
I  was  a  little  sick,  and  that  Dow,  knowing  I  had  been,  in  times  past/ 
given  to  spreeing  upon  an  extensive  scale,  had  become  unduly  alarmed, 
etc.,  etc., — that  when  I  found  that  he  had  written,  I  thought  it  best  to 
come  home. 

Thomas,  who  was  an  office  holder  in  Washington,  and 
who  had  suggested  to  Poe  that  he  make  this  application, 
gives  some  interesting  details  as  to  certain  phases  of  Poe's 
sickness : 

If  he  took  but  one  glass  of  weak  wine,  or  beer,  or  cider,  the  Rubi 
con  of  the  cup  had  been  passed  with  him,  and  it  almost  always  ended 
in  excess  and  sickness.  But  he  fought  against  the  propensity  as  hard 
as  ever  Coleridge  fought  against  it  and  I  am  inclined  to  believe  after 
his  experience  and  suffering,  if  he  could  have  gotten  office  with  a 
fixed  salary  that  he  would  have  redeemed  himself,  at  least  at  this 
time.  The  accounts  of  his  derelictions  in  this  respect  after  I  knew 
him  were  very  much  exaggerated.  I  have  seen  men  who  drank  bottles 
of  wine  to  Poe's  wine  glass,  who  yet  escaped  all  imputation  of  intem 
perance.  His  was  one  of  those  temperaments  whose  only  safety  is  in 
total  abstinence.  He  suffered  terribly  after  any  indiscretion. 

For  several  years  no  one  was  associated  more  closely 
with  Poe  than  Dr.  English.  His  statement  is : 

His  offenses  against  sobriety  were  committed  at  irregular  intervals. 
He  had  not  that  physical  constitution  that  would  permit  him  to  be  a 
regular  drinker.  He  was  not  even  a  frequent  drinker  when  I  knew 
him. 

Another  friend  writes : 

I,  the  most  innocent  of  divinity  students,  at  that  time  (1847) 
while  walking  with  Poe,  and  feeling  thirsty,  pressed  him  to  take  a 
glass  of  wine  with  me.  He  declined  but  finally  compromised  by  taking 
a  glass  of  ale  with  me.  Almost  instantly  a  great  change  came  over 
him.  Previously  engaged  in  an  indescribably  eloquent  conversation 
he  became  as  if  paralyzed,  and,  with  compressed  lips  and  fixed  glassy 
eyes,  returned,  without  uttering  a  word,  to  the  house  which  we  were 
visiting.  For  hours  the  strange  spell  hung  over  him.  He  seemed  a 
changed  being,  as  if  stricken  by  some  peculiar  phase  of  insanity.' 


44        POE:  A  PSYCHOPATHIC  STUDY 

Poe  in  a  letter  to  Eleveth  (February,  1848,)  makes  the 
following  explanation,  which  appears  to  have  been  written 
in  good  faith,  and  at  the  time  it  was  written  represented 
his  own  estimate  of  his  physical  health : 

My  habits  are  rigorously  abstemious,  and  I  omit  nothing  of  the 
natural  regimen  necessary  for  health:  i.  e.  I  rise  early,  eat  moderately, 
drink  nothing  but  water,  and  take  abundant  and  regular  exercise  in 
the  air.  But  this  is  my  private  life — my  studious  and  literary  life — 
and,  of  course,  escapes  the  eye  of  the  world.  The  desire  for  society 
comes  upon  me  only  when  I  have  become  excited  by  drink.  Then  only 
I  go — that  is,  at  these  times  only  I  have  been  in  the  practice  of  going 
among  my  friends;  who  seldom,  or,  in  fact,  never  having  seen  me 
unless  excited,  take  it  for  granted  I  am  always  so.  ...  But  enough 
of  this;  the  causes  which  maddened  me  to  the  drinking  point  are  no 
more,  and  I  am  done  drinking  forever. 

The  same  old  cry ! 

Occasionally  one  of  Poe's  biographers  confuses  the  term 
"drunk,"  by  which  usually  is  meant  a  condition  of  physical 
paralysis  accompanied  by  mental  confusion,  with  that 
more  serious  condition  of  forgetfulness  or  mental  aliena 
tion,  which  occasionally  the  mildest  stimulant  will  pro 
duce,  or  that  still  more  subtle  and  less  easily  explained 
condition  manifested  by  a  complete  change  of  personality. 
There  is  much  evidence  that  Poe  could  take  large  quanti 
ties  of  stimulants  without  producing  physical  drunken 
ness. 

After  dipsomania  has  reached  that  stage  where  organic 
changes  have  taken  place  in  the  coverings  of  the  brain,  the 
slightest  alcoholic  stimulation  may  produce  profound  dis 
turbance,  morally  and  mentally.  One  drink  may  change 
the  whole  moral  atmosphere  and  produce  a  state  of  mental 
irresponsibility,  even  where  there  is  no  corresponding 
physical  change  apparent.  Occasionally,  even  without  any 
stimulant,  there  may  develop  an  abnormal  mental  condi 
tion,  the  so-called  change  in  personality  which  we  so  freely 
discuss  without  any  real  knowledge  as  to  how  it  does  occur, 


POE:  A  PSYCHOPATHIC  STUDY        45 

further  than  there  is  a  changed  mental  life.  Things  are  said 
and  done  while  in  this  condition  that  are  totally  opposed 
to  the  acts  and  conduct  ordinarily  characterizing  these 
patients,  and,  on  recovery,  they  may  have  no  memory  of 
what  has  occurred. 

After  this  failure  to  establish  either  himself  or  his  jour 
nal,  Poe  left  Philadelphia  and  took  up  his  residence  in  New 
York.  There  he  was  employed  by  Willis  for  detail  work 
on  the  "Mirror."  For  the  next  eighteen  months,  he  led  an 
abstemious  life ;  although  there  is  a  record  of  at  least  two 
relapses. 

Poe's  reputation  was  now  fully  established  and  he  was 
received,  and  was  visited,  by  literary  New  York.  For  this 
reason  we  have  many  intimate  details  of  his  life  and  sur 
roundings,  both  from  visitors  at  Fordham  and  from  those 
who  met  him  in  the  salons  of  those  days. 

Although  Poe's  employment  on  the  "Mirror"  was  of  but 
three  months'  duration,  its  petty  details,  and  necessarily 
regular  hours  were  most  trying.  With  all  its  requirements, 
however,  Poe  most  faithfully  complied.  This  connection 
gave  Willis  a  first  hand  and  intimate  acquaintance  with 
Poe  which  he  later  used  in  refutation  of  the  memoir  Gris- 
wold  published. 

Poe's  connection  with  the  "Mirror"  ceased  in  February, 
1845,  at  which  time  there  was  published,  both  in  the  "Mir 
ror"  and  the  "American  Whig  Review,"  Poe's  most 
famous  poem,  The  Raven.  This  single  poem  is  probably 
better  known  to  the  world  than  any  other  in  English  litera 
ture.  While  it  is  possible,that  had  it  not  been  for  The  Raven, 
Poe's  name  would  have  meant  no  more  than  that  of  Willis, 
Paulding,  or  others  of  the  early  American  writers,  except 
that  he  was  an  unusually  vicious  and  dissolute  man,  this 
poem  has  been  his  redemption  and  finally  his  vindication. 

We  must  judge  Poe  by  his  works  rather  than  by  the 
hasty  and  ill-natured  conclusions  of  certain  of  his  con- 


46        POE:  A  PSYCHOPATHIC  STUDY 

temporaries.  He  cannot  be  held  responsible  for  his  heredi 
tary  seizures  and  ought  to  be  judged  leniently.  He  should 
have  been  classed  with  those  equally  unfortunate  because 
of  heredity  or  habit.  Lamb,  Shelley,  Swinburne,  Coleridge 
and  De  Quincey,  as  associates,  would  have  constituted  a 
literary  Aidenn  which  even  Poe,  solitary  that  he  was,  might 
have  welcomed.  Surely  his  life  will  bear  a  far  fuller  investi 
gation  than  will  certain  of  those  I  have  mentioned. 

It  has  been  to  me  a  cause  of  wonder  how  a  single  poem  or 
story  has  not  only  established  a  literary  reputation,  but 
has  transmitted  the  writer's  name  to  posterity  in  some 
definite  way.  The  name  of  Gray  is  known  to  us,  not  by 
reason  of  his  heavy  and  dull  poetical  essays,  but  by  the 
"Elegy,"  which,  in  a  peculiar  way,  appeals  to  the  public  un 
derstanding  and  heart.  Shelley's  name  would  have  at 
tracted  the  attention  of  the  literati  even  without  The 
Skylark  or  The  Cloud — to  me  the  most  beloved  of  all 
poems :  few  would  have  had  the  patience  to  search  for  the 
beauties  of  his  long  poems.  Coleridge  might  have  ranked  as 
an  essayist  or  monologist,  but  suppress  the  Ancient 
Mariner  and  his  name  would  have  been  unknown  to  the 
great  majority  of  readers. 

A  single  line, 

And  what  is  so  rare  as  a  day  in  June? 

would  have  changed  an  essayist  into  a  poet,  had  it  not 
been  that  the  succeeding  couplet, 

Then  Heaven  tries  the  earth  if  it  be  in  tune, 
And  over  it  softly  her  warm  ear  lays," 

together  with  certain  other  lines,  effectually  and  completely 
disproved  this  assumption. 
That  stanza : 

Westward  the  course  of  empire  takes  its  way; 

The  four  first  acts  already  past, 
A  fifth  shall  close  the  drama  with  the  day ; 
Time's  noblest  offspring  is  the  last. 


POE:  A  PSYCHOPATHIC  STUDY        47 

even  though  it  referred  to  a  college  Berkeley  was  attempt 
ing  to  establish  in  Bermuda,  has  given  a  substance  that  is 
real,  and  a  reputation  to  a  transcendental  philosopher ;  for 
we  have  adopted  it  as  the  name  of  our  own  Berkeley,  than 
which  no  greater  monument  could  be  erected  to  the  mem 
ory  of  any  man.  Yet  Berkeley  ill  earned  it.  As  a  scientist 
his  only  contribution  was  his  elaborate  study  of  4Tar 
Water"  as  a  cure  for  all  ills,  ranking  in  scientific  value  with 
the  "Weapon  Salve"  of  Digby,  and  the  "Metallic  Tractors" 
of  Perkins ;  nor  can  we  recognize  him  as  a  poet,  for  these 
lines  were  his  only  effusion  and,  bad  as  they  are  in  con 
struction,  meter,  and  prosody,  the  stanzas  preceding  it  are 
worse.  Nor  does  he  deserve  a  reputation  as  a  philosopher, 
for  his  "Dialogues,"  and  his  "Principles  of  Human  Know 
ledge,"  have  become  a  part  of 

That  dust  of  Systems  and  of  Creeds 
which  clog  and  cumber  the  world  with  worthless  theories. 

It  was  about  this  time,  through  their  mutual  friend, 
Lowell,  that  Briggs  and  Poe  met.  Briggs  thus  records  his 
first  impression  of  Poe : 

I  like  Poe  exceedingly  well.  Mr.  Griswold  has  told  me  shocking  bad 
stories  about  him,  which  his  whole  demeanor  contradicts.  ...  I  have 
always  strangely  misunderstood  Poe,  from  thinking  him  one  of  the 
Graham  and  Godey  species,  but  I  find  him  as  different  as  possible. 

Soon  after  this  Briggs,  who  had  established  'The  Broad 
way  Journal,"  associated  Poe  as  joint  editor.  In  the  begin 
ning  all  was  harmonious  and  Briggs  again  wrote : 

The  Rev.  Mr.  Griswold  of  Philadelphia  told  me  some  damnable 
lies  about  him,  but  a  personal  acquaintance  has  induced  me  to  think 
highly  of  him. 

That  Poe  possessed  a  most  pleasing  personality  when  he 
was  normal  and  responsible  for  his  actions,  there  is  much 
evidence;  but  there  were  times,  and  these  periods  were 
now  recurring  more  frequently,  when  his  mental  obsession 
dominated. 


48        POE:  A  PSYCHOPATHIC  STUDY 

From  this  time  on  Poe's  creative  work  practically 
ceased ;  in  its  place  there  appeared  a  spirit  of  carping  criti 
cism,  and  an  intolerance  of  the  work  of  others. 

To  this  period  belongs  "The  Longfellow  War,"  which 
reflects  Poe's  abnormal  mental  state.  While  contributing 
to  the  "Mirror"  Poe  passed  the  following  criticism  on 
Longfellow's  "Waif": 

Is  it  infected  with  a  moral  taint — or  is  this  a  mere  freak  of  our 
fancy?  We  shall  be  pleased  if  it  be  so;  but  there  does  appear  in  this 
little  volume  a  very  careful  avoidance  of  all  American  poets  who  may 
be  supposed  to  interfere  with  the  claims  of  Mr.  Longfellow.  These  men 
Mr.  Longfellow  can  continuously  imitate  (is  that  the  word?)  and  never 
yet  incidentally  commend. 

Poe — a  normal  Poe — could  not  have  insinuated  what 
this  passage  evidently  does  imply,  viz:  that  Longfellow 
was  making  use  of  Poe's  work  as  a  model  for  the  poems 
contained  in  this  volume ;  for,  to  Poe's  ego,  there  was  no 
other  "American  poet."  This  criticism  gave  great  offense 
to  Longfellow's  friends;  yet  Longfellow  did  not  resent  it, 
and  thus  dismisses  the  matter : 

The  harshness  of  his  criticisms  I  have  never  attributed  to  anything 
but  the  irritation  of  a  sensitive  nature,  chafed  by  some  indefinite  sense 
of  wrong. 

A  recent  commentator  has  suggested  that,  by  indirec 
tion,  Longfellow  did  attempt  to  answer  Poe's  personal  criti 
cisms,  by  putting  into  the  mouth  of  Hathaway,  one  of  the 
characters  of  "Kavanagh,"  sentiments  such  as  Poe  might 
have  entertained ;  then,  as  Churchill,  actively  controverting 
them.  The  known  opinions  of  Poe  as  to  long  or  didactic 
poems  give  no  possible  reason  for  such  an  identification. 
Who  could  attribute  to  Poe  a  sentiment  such  as  this : 

We  want  a  national  epic  that  shall  correspond  to  the  size  of  the 
country;  that  shall  be  to  all  other  epics  what  Banvard's  'Panorama  of 
the  Mississippi'  is  to  all  other  paintings, — the  largest  in  the  world! 

This  and  many  other  bombastic  suggestions  were  actively 
controverted  by  another  character,  Churchill,  whom  this 


POE:  A  PSYCHOPATHIC  STUDY        49 

acute  commentator  believes  Longfellow  intended  to  be 
merely  a  spokesman  of  his  own  ideas.  The  many  sugges 
tions  advanced  by  Hathaway,  and  their  refutation  by 
Churchill,  are  trite  and  stilted,  and  could  not  possibly  have 
been  intended  to  represent  any  known  theory  which  Poe 
at  any  time  held  as  to  long  or  didactic  poems,  or  could 
refer  to  his  often-repeated  definition  of  poetry. 

We  who  love  Longfellow  can  only  regret  that  he  should 
have  indulged  in  so  prosy  an  argument  or,  for  that  matter, 
that  he  should  have  indulged  in  a  "Tale"  of  any  kind.  He 
was  not  fitted  for  such  work,  and  an  apology  is  due  for 
resurrecting  this  long  dead  story  and  associating  with  it 
the  name  of  Longfellow. 

Poe  formerly  had  declared  that  he  regarded  Longfellow 
as  the  greatest  of  our  poets ;  and,  while  posterity  has  not 
placed  him  among  the  first,  certainly  he  ranks  high,  and 
deserves  the  recognition  he  has  received. 

One,  "Outis,"  answered  Poe's  criticism  in  a  style  equally 
bitter,  and  the  war  was  on — one  that  delighted  Poe,  for, 
partly  owing  to  the  morbid  state  which  was  developing,  he 
enjoyed  the  fight.  His  excited  brain  took  fire,  and,  what 
possibly  was  at  first  a  passing  thought,  became  a  deep  con 
viction.  Poe  seriously  attempted  to  prove  that  Longfellow 
was  a  plagiarist  and  an  imitator. 

I  do  not  love  Longfellow  the  less  for  his  adaptations  and 
his  translations,  or  even  his  adoption  of  the  hexameter  in 
4 The  Children  of  the  Lord's  Supper",  which  Poe  adversely 
criticised.  Possibly  he  has  written  no  single  poem  that 
stands  out  preeminently,  and  he  may  not  be  always  orig 
inal,  for  he  did  translate,  and  make  his  own,  many  of  the 
finest  selections  from  other  languages.  Longfellow  had  a 
marvelous  facility  both  in  choosing  and  versifying  those 
subjects  which,  above  all  others,  delight  me.  He  is  always 
near  me,  and,  whatever  my  mood,  I  find  in  his  poetry  a 
pleasure,  and  a  solace  that  no  other  gives  me. 


50        POE:  A  PSYCHOPATHIC  STUDY 

This  "war"  was  continued  in  the  "Broadway  Journal" : 
Briggs,  while  not  approving,  wrote: 

Poe  is  a  monomaniac  on  the  subject  of  Plagiarism,  and  I  thought  it 
best  to  allow  him  to  ride  his  hobby  to  death  at  the  outset  and  be  done 
with  it. 

It  was  not  the  general  charge  of  plagiarism  that  makes 
me  believe  that  the  line  of  sane  criticism  had  been  passed, 
for  Poe  always  posed  as  an  authority  in  detecting  simi 
larities.  That  he  could  have  believed,  as  he  appeared  to 
believe,  that  Longfellow  was  imitating  him, — and  evi 
dently  the  grievance  was  a  personal  one, — is  not  consonant 
with  Poe's  known  literary  acumen. 

Another  equally  strange  vagary  was  a  judgment,  on  a 
poet  and  a  poem,  which  is  so  singularly  absurd  that  it  could 
not  have  emanated  from  a  rational  brain.  Neither  the  poem 
nor  the  poet  ever  would  have  been  resurrected  had  it  not 
been  for  Poe's  eloquent  and  sincere  eulogium.  The  poet's 
name  was  Home,  and  the  poem  was  called  "Orion."  Poe 
wrote  a  criticism  containing  the  following  appreciation: 

It  is  our  deliberate  opinion  that,  in  all  that  regards  the  loftiest  and 
holiest  attributes  of  true  poetry,  Orion  has  never  been  excelled.  Indeed 
we  feel  strongly  inclined  to  say  that  it  has  never  been  equalled. 

Comparing  it  with  Milton's  description  of  hell,  Poe  says 
that  Milton  is : 

Altogether  inferior  in  graphic  effect,  in  originality,  in  expression, 
in  the  true  imagination.  'Orion'  will  be  admitted  by  every  man  of 
genius  to  be  one  of  the  noblest,  if  not  the  very  noblest  poetical  work  of 
the  age. 

Spurred  to  investigation  by  so  ardent  and  so  laudatory 
a  critique,  and  possibly  abashed  by  the  fact  that  I  never 
even  had  heard  of,  much  less  read,  this  poem  that  out- 
Miltoned  Milton, — supposing  that  nothing  more  dull 
had  ever  been  written, — I  eagerly  searched  for  some  trace 
either  of  the  book  or  the  author,  but  they  seemed  to  be 
equally  dead.  Only  Captain  Brown's  Conchology  fur 
nished  me  with  a  keener  chase.  Finally  the  book-hunt  was 


POE:  A  PSYCHOPATHIC  STUDY        51 

successful,  and  I  found  the  long-sought  item: — not  only 
found  it,  but  in  its  original  state  autographed  and  in 
scribed  to  Douglas  Jerrold ;  and,  as  an  added  indication  of 
the  author's  capacity  and  literary  acumen,  there  was 
printed,  above  the  title  page,  the  announcement  "  (PRICE 
ONE  FARTHING)".  Evidently  Home  was  no  profiteer,  yet  he 
probably  asked  all  that  it  was  worth.  The  volume  was  un 
cut  and  apparently  unopened ;  certainly  it  remains  unread. 
From  the  few  passages  which  I  scanned,  I  am  certain 
that  in  one  sense  Poe's  comparison  was  just,  in  spite  of  his 
mistaken  judgment.  It  is  said  that  this  price  of  one  far 
thing  was  placed  on  it,  by  Home,  in  derision  of  the  slight 
value  in  which  epic  poetry  was  held,  and  the  low  public 
estimate  of  its  worth.  The  price,  not  the  value,  has  greatly 
increased. 

Possibly  the  particular  passage  selected  by  Poe  that 
rivaled  the  God-like  fight  between  the  Devils  and  Angels 
is  this : 

Them,  quickly  joined 

Their  head  in  this  destruction,  and  ere  night, 
Huge  forms,  ferocious,  mighty  in  the  dawn, 
When  hoar  rime  glistened  on  each  hairy  shape, 
Nought  fearing,  swift,  brimfull  of  raging  life, 
Lay  stiffening  in  black  pools  of  jellied  gore. 
Nor  with  the  day  ceased  their  tremendous  task, 
But  all  night  long  Orion  led  the  way 
Through  moonless  passes  to  most  secret  lairs, 
Where  in  their  deep  abodes  fierce  monsters  crouched, — 
Dragons  and  sea-beasts  and  compounded  forms, — 
And  in  the  pitchy  blackness  madly  huddling, 
Midst  deafening  yells  and  hisses  they  were  slain. 

This  is  not  by  any  means  the  worst.  I  select  at  random : 

Never  renew  thy  vision,  passionate  lover — 

Heart-rifled  maiden — nor  the  hope  pursue, 

If  once  it  vanish  from  thee;  but  believe, 

Tis  better  thou  should'st  rue  this  sweet  loss  ever 

Than  newly  grieve,  or  risk  another  chill 


52        POE:  A  PSYCHOPATHIC  STUDY 

On  false  love's  icy  river,  which  betraying 
With  mirrors  bright  to  see,  and  voids  beneath, 
Its  broken  spell  should  find  no  faith  in  thee. 

Evidently  Home  also  was  cursed  with  the  germ  of 
genius,  and  at  one  time  contemplated  ending  his  life — not 
fearfully,  but  in  a  loving  embrace  which  out-Ellas  Ella 
Wheeler's  celebrated  couplet : 

Close,  close  in  my  arms  I  would  fold  you, 
And  drop  with  you  down  to  sweet  Hell ! 

but  does  not  make  him  a  rival  to  Milton. 

Why  not  at  once,  with  thee  enfolded,  whirl 

Deep  down  the  abyss  of  ecstasy,  to  melt 

All  brain  and  being  where  no  reason  is, 

Or  else  the  source  of  all  reason?  But  the  roaring 

Of  time's  great  wings  which  ne'er  had  driven  me, 

By  dread  events  nor  broken-down  old  age, 

Back  on  myself,  the  close  experience 

Of  false  mankind,  with  whispers  close  and  dry 

As  snake-songs  midst  stone  hollows,  thus  has  taught  me — 

The  giant  hunter,  laughed  at  by  the  world — 

Not  to  forget  the  substance  in  the  dream 

Which  breeds  it.  Both  must  merge  in  one. 

Now  shall  I  overcome  thee,  body  and  soul, 

And  like  a  new  made  element  brood  o'er  thee 

With  all  devouring  murmurs!  Come,  thou  storm, 

And  clasp  the  rigid  pine — this  mortal  frame 

Wrap  with  thy  whirlwinds,  rend  and  wrestle  down, 

And  let  my  being  solve  its  destiny, 

Defying,  seeking,  thine  extremest  power, 

Famished  and  thirsty  for  the  absorbing  doom 

Of  that  immortal  death  which  leads  to  life, 

And  gives  a  glimpse  of  heaven's  parental  scheme. 

A  normal  Poe  was  too  capable  a  critic  to  have  passed 
this  judgment.  He  had  no  reason  for  giving  this  favorable 
opinion  had  he  not  believed  that  it  was  deserved.  His  judg 
ment  must  have  been  perverted. 

The  relationship,  begun  so  happily,  between  Poe  and 
Briggs  lasted  only  a  few  months.  There  were  disagreements 


POE:  A  PSYCHOPATHIC  STUDY        53 

between  Briggs  and  his  publishers,  probably  owing  to  the 
circumstance  that  the  "Journal"  did  not  pay  expenses, 
and  Poe  assumed  the  editorship. 
According  to  Briggs : 

Poe  got  on  a  drunken  spree,  and  conceived  the  idea  that  I  had  not 
treated  him  well,  for  which  he  had  no  other  grounds  than  my  having 
loaned  him  money  and  persuaded  Brisco  to  carry  on  'The  Journal' 
himself. 

While  this  may  be  true,  as  between  Briggs  and  Poe, 
Brisco  preferred  Poe.  After  a  week's  suspension,  "The 
Broadway  Journal"  reappeared  with  Poe  as  sole  editor.  It 
was  thus  that  Poe's  life-time  ambition  was  realized,  and 
the  goal  was  reached  for  which  so  long  he  had  striven. 
Unfortunately  it  came  too  late. 

Although  Poe  tried  hard  for  his  ideal,  and  attempted  to 
fashion  'The  Broadway  Journal"  into  the  arbiter  of  mat 
ters  literary,  and  make  it  the  critical  authority  of  which 
he  was  at  one  time  capable,  his  mental  deterioration  had 
progressed  to  such  an  extent  that  he  was  no  longer  able 
either  to  produce  original  work  or  to  judge  fairly  of  the 
work  of  others.  "The  Journal,'*  under  his  management,  re 
produced  many  of  his  stories  and  a  few  of  his  poems,  but 
his  reviews  apparently  had  lost  much  of  their  critical 
value ;  as  in  the  case  of  the  Longfellow  war,  which  he  con 
tinued  as  long  as  he  could  find  anyone  to  reply  to  him, 
they  showed  bias. 

Apparently  the  capacity  for  production  was  lost  not 
because  Poe  did  not,  by  request,  compose  a  poem  worthy 
of  his  Boston  audience — for  things  inspired,  as  most  of  his 
poems  were,  cannot  be  made  to  order — but  because,  in 
the  following  four  years,  there  was  little  worthy  of  his  great 
genius  that  can  be  justly  said  to  rank  with  his  early 
work.  One  poem,  The  Bells,  was  slowly  elaborated,  and 
two  others,  Ulalume  and  Annabel  Lee,  each  in  its  way 
"weird"  and  without  "reason,"  were  published;  but  when 


54        POE:  A  PSYCHOPATHIC  STUDY 

they  were  written,  or  how  long  they  had  remained  unpub 
lished,  we  do  not  know. 

It  is  apparent  that  Poe's  poetic  faculty  remained,  and 
his  mastery  of  words  and  rhythm  lasted  beyond  his  logical 
faculties.  In  writing  to  Duyckinck  in  November,  1845,  he 
said: 

For  the  first  time  during  two  months,  I  find  myself  entirely  my 
self — dreadfully  sick  and  depressed  but  still  myself.  I  seem  to  have 
wakened  from  some  horrible  dream,  in  which  all  was  confusion  and 
suffering.  I  really  believe  I  have  been  mad — but  indeed  I  had  abun 
dant  reason  to  be  so. 

It  was  during  this  time  that  Poe  had  the  memorable  in 
terview  with  Lowell,  and,  in  spite  of  the  kindly  feeling  their 
long  correspondence  had  engendered,  each  seems  to  have 
been  disappointed  in  the  other.  Lowell  later  wrote : 

I  saw  Poe  only  once  ...  I  suppose  there  are  many  descriptions 
of  him.  He  was  small :  his  complexion  of  what  I  should  call  a  clammy 
white;  fine,  dark  eyes,  and  fine  head,  very  broad  at  the  temples,  but 
receding  sharply  from  the  brows  backwards.  His  manner  was  rather 
formal,  even  pompous,  but  I  have  the  impression  that  he  was  rather 
soggy  with  drink — not  tipsy — but  as  if  he  had  been  holding  his  head 
under  a  pump  to  cool  it. 

This  interview  is  further  discussed  in  a  letter  Mrs. 
Clemm  wrote  Lowell  after  Poe's  death : 

How  much  I  wish  I  could  see  you!  how  quickly  I  could  remove 
your  wrong  impression  of  my  darling  Eddie!  The  day  you  saw  him  in 
New  York,  he  was  not  himself.  Do  you  not  remember  that  I  never  left 
the  room?  Oh!  if  you  only  knew  his  bitter  sorrow  when  I  told  him  how 
unlike  himself  he  was  while  you  were  here,  you  would  have  pitied  him ! 
He  always  felt  particularly  anxious  to  possess  your  approbation.  If  he 
spoke  unkindly  of  you  (as  you  say  he  did)  rely  on  it,  he  did  not  know 
what  he  was  talking. 

And  Poe's  own  impression  of  Lowell  was  not  by  any 
means  flattering: 

He  called  to  see  me  the  other  day,  but  I  was  very  much  disap 
pointed  in  his  appearance  as  an  intellectual  man.  He  was  not  half  the 
noble  looking  man  that  I  expected  to  see." 


POE:  A  PSYCHOPATHIC  STUDY        55 

It  is  probable  that  Poe's  facial  appearance,  under  the 
influence  of  alcohol,  had  changed,  and  that  he  was  not,  at 
that  time,  possessed  of  the  expression  of  nobility  which 
had  impressed  many  who  attempted  descriptions  of  him. 

Willis  thus  pictures  him : 

He  becomes  a  desk, — his  beautiful  head  showing  like  a  statuary 
embodiment  of  Discrimination;  his  accent  drops  like  a  knife  through 
water,  and  his  style  is  so  much  purer  and  clearer  than  the  pulpit  com 
monly  gets  or  requires  that  the  effect  of  what  he  says,  besides  other 
things,  pampers  the  ears. 

While  Willis  mixes  his  metaphors  and  his  similes  are 
crude,  what  he  means  to  express  is  a  remarkable  tribute 
for  one  writer  to  pay  another,  especially  when  that  other 
is  a  close  acquaintance. 

Another  familiar  thus  describes  him : 

The  exquisitely  chiseled  features,  the  habitual  but  intellectual 
melancholy,  the  clear  pallor  of  the  complexion,  and  the  calm  eye  like 
the  molten  stillness  of  a  slumbering  volcano,  composed  a  countenance 
of  which  this  portrait  is  but  the  skeleton. 

There  must  have  been  some  ground  for  these  eulogies. 

In  October,  1845,  Poe  assumed  full  charge  of  "The 
Broadway  Journal",  and  it  was  in  November  of  the 
same  year  that  he  wrote  the  letter  to  Duyckinck  just 
quoted. 

In  January,  1846,  the  following  notice  announced  the 
close  of  his  last  effort.  It  was  the  end. 

VALEDICTORY 

Unexpected  engagements  demanding  my  whole  attention,  and  the 
objects  being  fulfilled,  so  far  as  regards  myself  personally,  for  which 
The  Broadway  Journal'  was  established,  I  now,  as  its  editor,  bid 
farewell — as  cordially  to  foes  as  to  friends. 

EDGAR  A.  POE. 

Only  those  who,  in  their  old  age,  have  experienced 
failure,  knowing  that  their  last  opportunity  as  well  as 


56        POE:  A  PSYCHOPATHIC  STUDY 

their  capacity  for  work  has  passed,  can  comprehend  to  the 
full  the  heartbreak  in  these  stereotyped  phrases. 

This  was  Poe's  last  attempt  to  do  serious  work  worthy 
of  his  genius.  For  the  next  four  years,  till  death  mercifully 
freed  him,  his  life  was  one  unbroken  series  of  disasters.  It 
was  at  this  time  that  his  wife's  sickness  gave  evidence  of 
her  fast  approaching  end,  and  penury  pinched  him  so  hard 
that  even  his  poor  mother  was  compelled  to  ask  for  assist 
ance.  That  there  was  abject  poverty — want  beyond  human 
endurance — is  evident  from  the  reports  of  those  who  visited 
Fordham  at  that  time. 

The  cottage  had  an  air  of  gentility  and  neatness  that  must  have 
been  lent  to  it  by  the  presence  of  its  inmates.  So  neat,  so  poor,  so  un 
furnished,  and  yet  so  charming  a  dwelling  I  never  saw.  The  floor  of  the 
kitchen  was  white  as  wheaten  flour.  A  table,  a  chair,  and  a  little  stove 
that  it  contained  seemed  to  furnish  it  completely. 

Another  visitor,  describing  this  home,  thus  pictures 
Mrs.  Poe: 

I  saw  her  in  her  bed-chamber.  Everything  here  was  so  neat,  so 
purely  clean,  so  scant  and  poverty  stricken,  that  I  saw  the  poor  suf 
ferer  with  such  a  heartache  as  the  poor  feel  for  the  poor.  There  was  no 
clothing  on  the  bed,  which  was  of  straw,  but  a  snow-white  counterpane 
and  sheets.  The  weather  was  cold  and  the  sick  lady  had  the  dreadful 
chills  that  accompany  the  hectic  fever  of  consumption.  She  lay  on  her 
straw  bed,  wrapped  in  her  husband's  great-coat,  with  a  large  tortoise 
cat  in  her  bosom.  The  wonderful  cat  seemed  conscious  of  her  great  use 
fulness.  The  coat  and  the  cat  were  the  only  means  of  warmth  of  the 
poor  sufferer,  except  as  the  husband  held  her  hands,  and  her  mother 
her  feet. 

Later,  friends  made  a  public  appeal  and  money  was 
raised  to  tide  over  the  threatened  starvation.  Only  a 
knowledge  of  Poe's  sensitive  nature  and  high-strung  soul, 
could  make  us  know  the  humiliation  he  must  have  suffered 
because  of  this  public  appeal ;  yet  it  was  to  this  Griswold 
sneeringly  alluded  when,  quoting  a  letter  Poe  wrote  Willis 
in  which  he  protested  against  "the  concerns  of  my  family 


POE:  A  PSYCHOPATHIC  STUDY        57 

being  thus  pitilessly  thrust  before  the  public,"  he  says  in 
his  memoir : 

This  was  written  for  effect.  He  had  not  been  ill  a  great  while  nor 
dangerously  at  all. 

Fortunately  Poe  was  for  many  weeks  too  sick  to  protest, 
and  his  friends  were  allowed  to  care  for  him. 

It  is  certain  that  there  were  a  few  occasions  when  Poe 
gave  striking  evidence  of  his  disturbed  mental  state,  which 
was  plain  to  all  his  intimate  associates.  His  friend  Willis 
says: 

He  left  us — The  Mirror' — by  his  own  wish  alone,  and  it  was  one 
day  soon  after,  that  we  saw  him  in  the  condition  to  which  we  refer.  He 
came  into  our  office  with  his  usual  gait  and  manner,  and,  with  no 
symptom  of  ordinary  intoxication,  he  talked  like  a  man  insane.  Per 
fectly  self-possessed  in  all  other  respects,  his  brain  and  tongue  were 
evidently  beyond  his  control.  We  learned  afterward  that  the  least 
stimulus — a  single  glass  of  wine — would  produce  this  effect  on  Mr.  Poe 
and  that  rarely  as  these  instances  of  easy  aberration  of  caution  and 
mind  occurred,  he  was  liable  to  them,  and  while  under  their  influence, 
voluble  and  personally  self-possessed  but  neither  sane  nor  responsible. 

This  change  in  Poe,  the  so-called  double  personality,  is 
variously  explained,  for  it  does  not  necessarily  have  alco 
hol  as  a  basis.  In  some  unknown  way,  the  subconscious 
self  is  involved  and,  by  reason  of  a  morbid  change,  dom 
inates.  Beyond  a  certain  point  it  becomes  a  pathological 
change,  and  one  suffering  from  it  cannot  be  held  respon 
sible.  The  nervous  diathesis  is  usually  present  as  the  basis 
of  this  mental  complex. 

Mrs.  Shew,  his  friend  and  his  nurse,  kept  a  diary  from 
which  Ingram  made  the  following  extract: 

I  made  my  diagnosis,  and  went  to  the  great  Dr.  Mott  with  it;  I 
told  him  that  at  best,  when  Mr.  Poe  was  well,  his  pulse  beat  only  ten 
regular  beats,  after  which  it  suspended,  or  intermitted  (as doctors  say). 
I  decided  that  in  his  best  health  he  had  lesion  of  one  side  of  the  brain, 
and  as  he  could  not  bear  stimulants  or  tonics,  without  producing  in 
sanity,  I  did  not  feel  much  hope  that  he  could  be  raised  up  from  brain 
fever  brought  on  by  extreme  suffering  of  mind  and  body. 


58        POE:  A  PSYCHOPATHIC  STUDY 

Mrs.  Shew  again  states  that  on  Poe's  failing  to  return 
home,  they  found  that  he  had  taken  a  room  and  slept  for 
twelve  hours;  and  that,  on  awakening,  he  had  little  or  no 
memory  of  what  had  taken  place  during  this  period- 
Again  she  deduces  the  medical  opinion : 

This  showed  that  his  mind  was  injured,  nearly  gone  out  for  the 
want  of  food  and  from  disappointment.  He  had  not  been  drinking,  and 
had  been  only  a  few  hours  from  home.  Evidently  his  vitality  was  low 
and  he  was  nearly  insane.  While  he  slept  we  studied  his  pulse,  and 
found  the  same  symptoms  we  had  noticed  before.  I  called  in  Dr. 
Francis  (the  old  man  was  odd  but  very  skillful)  who  was  one  of  our 
neighbors.  His  words  were,  'He  has  heart  disease  and  will  die  early  in 
life.' 

In  spite  of  the  fact  that  Mrs.  Shew  is  said  to  have  been 
"the  only  daughter  of  a  doctor"  and  that  she  at  one  time 
had  "studied  medicine",  either  of  which  incidents  would 
have  justified  her  in  expressing  an  opinion,  and  which  com 
bined,  do  not  lessen  its  relevancy,  I  strongly  question  its 
scientific  value ;  and  even  that  of  Dr.  Francis,  and  Dr.  Mott, 
for,  little  as  we  now  know,  still  less  dependence  may  be 
placed  on  the  pathological  teachings  of  those  days,  when 
Dr.  Rush's  classical  work,  "Medical  Inquiries  andObserva- 
tions  on  the  Diseases  of  the  Mind",  remained  their  text 
book  and  their  neurological  guide.  Since  those  days  we 
have  unlearned  very  much. 

However,  there  can  be  no  question  of  serious  mental 
aberration  and  that,  at  times,  Poe  was  not  responsible 
either  for  his  actions  or  his  statements.  It  is  certain  that  at 
least  a  few  of  Griswold's  charges  as  to  acts  committed  at 
that  time,  had  a  real  foundation.  They  were  of  so  serious  a 
nature,  and  were  so  unlike  the  normal  Poe,  that  they  must 
be  regarded  as  the  offspring  of  a  disordered  brain.  It  was 
at  this  time  that  the  association  of  the  names  of  many 
women  with  that  of  Poe  showed  the  abnormal  trend  of  his 
mind. 

These  complications  were  of  such  a  nature,  and  so  unlike 


POE:  A  PSYCHOPATHIC  STUDY        59 

Poe  while  in  his  ordinary  health,  that  he  must  be  held 
irresponsible.  Griswold  added  blackmail  and  personal  dis 
honor  to  his  other  charges,  but  neither  of  these  can  be 
proved.  Griswold  stated  that  Poe  had  received  letters 
from  a  woman  containing  sentimental  passages,  and  that 
he  had  demanded  money  for  their  return.  It  is  not  neces 
sary  to  go  into  details,  further  than  to  say  that  Poe  ap 
parently  received  such  letters  and,  when  this  woman  unduly 
interfered  and  publicly  criticised  the  good  name  of  another, 
he  bitterly  resented  it  and  did  refer  to  letters  that  he  had 
received  which  might  throw  some  light  on  this  woman's 
reason  for  attempting  to  besmirch  another. 

Poe  not  only  denied  that  he  ever  demanded  money,  but 
declared  that  he  had  long  ago  returned  all  the  letters  he 
had  not  destroyed.  When  this  story,  among  others,  was 
published  by  Thomas  Dunn  English,  Poe  brought  suit  and 
obtained  financial  damages ;  yet,  after  Poe's  death,  Gris 
wold  publicly  circulated  the  same  stories  in  the  memoir 
which  accompanied  Poe's  collected  writings. 

It  is  probable  that  Poe,  under  provocation,  did  say 
things  he  later  regretted,  and  that  he  committed  other  in 
discretions  which,  in  his  better  moments,  he  thus  exten 
uates: 

The  errors  and  frailties  which  I  deplore,  it  cannot  at  least  be  said 
that  I  was  the  coward  to  deny.  Never  even  have  I  made  the  attempt 
at  extenuating  a  weakness  which  is  (or,  by  the  blessing  of  God,  was) 
a  calamity,  although  those  who  did  not  know  me  intimately  had  little 
reason  to  regard  it  other  than  as  a  crime.  For  indeed,  had  the  pride  of 
my  family  permitted,  there  was  much — very  much — there  was  every 
thing  in  extenuation.  Perhaps  even,  there  was  a  time  at  which  it  might 
not  have  been  wrong  to  me  to  hint — what  by  the  testimony  of  Dr. 
Francis  and  other  medical  men  I  might  have  demonstrated,  had  the 
public  indeed  cared  for  the  demonstration — that  irregularities  so  pro 
foundly  lamented  were  the  effect  of  a  terrible  evil  rather  than  the 
cause.  And  now  let  me  thank  God  that  in  redemption  from  the  physi 
cal  ill,  I  have  forever  got  rid  of  the  moral. 


60        POE:  A  PSYCHOPATHIC  STUDY 

Among  other  explanations  advanced  as  possibly  ac 
counting  for  some  of  Poe's  irresponsible  acts,  epilepsy  has 
been  alleged.  The  possibility  of  its  existence  could  not 
have  been  suggested  by  anyone  even  remotely  familiar 
with  the  manifestations  of  this  disease.  While  it  may  ex 
hibit  itself  in  protean  forms,  no  type  known  could  have 
accounted  for  the  peculiarities  of  Poe's  sickness. 

The  characteristic  symptom,  and  the  one  symptom  that 
differentiates  epilepsy  from  hysteria  and  all  other  nervous 
seizures,  is  complete  loss  of  consciousness  during  the  at 
tack,  and  occasionally  for  considerable  periods  of  time 
following. 

We  are  ignorant  of  the  causation  of  epilepsy,  as  we  are  of 
many  other  of  the  functional  neuroses — including  insanity 
— but  we  do  definitely  know  its  symptomatology,  in  spite 
of  the  many  forms  it  may  assume.  As  a  rule,  the  patient 
falls  as  if  he  had  received  a  blow  directly  upon  the  brain ; 
and  this  is  what  does  happen,  for  the  blood  rushes  in  and 
congests  the  meninges,  engorging  the  brain  and  producing 
profound  unconsciousness.  What  causes  this  nervous  ex 
plosion  we  do  not  know.  It  may  be  compared  to  the  dis 
charge  of  electricity  from  a  leyden  jar.  This  at  best  is  a 
gross  comparison,  for  we  know  absolutely  nothing  of  the 
actual  manifestation  of  nervous  energy ;  nor  do  we  know 
how  the  external  afferent  irritations,  as  received  by  the 
special  senses,  arechanged  into  efferent  and  intelligent  brain 
conceptions  and  manifestations,  nor  how  our  brain  cells 
function  in  flashing  back  their  responsive  conceptions. 
Did  we  know,  there  would  not  be  so  many  theories.  We  do 
know  that  there  is  some  subtle  cell  change,  accompanied 
by  some  unknown  process  of  stimulation  of  these  special 
centers  of  the  five  special  senses  which  signal  the  coming 
storm. 

In  addition  to  the  gross  manifestations  described,  the 
seizures,  although  of  the  same  character,  may  be  so  slight 


POE:  A  PSYCHOPATHIC  STUDY        61 

that  they  can  be  detected  only  by  one  who  is  a  close  ob 
server  ;  yet,  that  they  belong  to  the  same  group  and  have 
the  same  underlying  cause,  is  established  by  an  abundance 
of  incontrovertible  evidence.  Epilepsy  may  manifest  itself 
in  many  forms.  Occasionally  a  patient  so  afflicted  will 
suddenly  perform  some  unexpected  or  objectionable  act, 
such  as  disrobing  in  a  public  place;  or,  to  use  the  classical 
illustration  frequently  cited  of  the  patient  that  rose  from 
the  dinner  table  and  carefully  nailed  the  beefsteak,  which 
had  been  placed  before  him,  to  the  wall  of  the  dining  room. 
These  persons  are  unconscious  of  their  acts  and  have  no 
memory  of  anything  that  occurred  during  the  seizure. 
This  last  is  called  "larval"  epilepsy,  and  is  the  form  which 
was  said  to  have  afflicted  Poe.  It  is  impossible  to  qualify 
him  for  this  or  any  other  manifestation  of  epilepsy. 

There  is,  however,  a  characteristic  seizure  which  often 
complicates  chronic  alcoholism,  and  which  frequently  so 
closely  resembles  the  first  form  described,  technically 
called  grand  mal,  that  only  the  clinical  history  of  the  indi 
vidual  case  can  differentiate  it  from  functional  epilepsy.  In 
chronic  alcoholism  this  seizure  is  due  to  an  organic  cerebral 
disintegration  and  is  not  held  to  be  a  true  epilepsy.  As  far 
as  I  can  determine  in  the  morbid  life  history  of  Poe,  no  such 
attack  has  been  described,  nor  is  there  any  history  that 
would  point  to  any  form  of  epilepsy.  It  is  true  that  the 
state  of  amnesia,  or  blank-memory  periods,  characterizes 
both  epilepsy  and  certain  forms  of  chronic  alcoholism,  but 
no  intelligent  physician  could  possibly  confound  the  two 
causations.  Fairfield,  who  had  read  a  thesis  of  Dr.  Leblois, 
dealing  with  the  petit  mal  and  other  larval  forms  of 
epilepsy,  imagined  he  saw  in  this  description  a  method  of 
accounting  for  Poe's  many  lapses,  but  in  this  he  was  as 
mistaken  as  was  Lauvriere  in  his  attempts,  as  a  layman,  to 
deal  with  medical  subjects  and  scientific  dicta  that  are  en 
tirely  beyond  the  comprehension  of  anyone  who  has  not 


62        POE:  A  PSYCHOPATHIC  STUDY 

specialized  on  so  elusive  and  complicated  a  subject,  where 
so  many  theories  are  advanced  as  facts,  and  where  the  in 
ability  to  differentiate  has  resulted  in  absurd  mistakes.* 

Only  one  without  medical  knowledge,  or  special  ac 
quaintance  with  these  different  disease  syndromes,  and 
who  for  that  reason  was  mentally  untrammelled  and  was 
unrestrained  by  disquieting  and  contradictory  medical 
facts,  relying  entirely  on  the  imagination,  would  have 
evolved  such  a  theory. 

The  question  as  to  the  part  opium  played  in  producing 
these  temporary  derangements  frequently  has  been  asked 
and  may  only  be  answered  in  general  terms.  There  is  no 
doubt  that  Poe occasionally  indulged  in  opium.  It  is  equally 
certain  that  this  use  never  became  a  "habit,"  or  that  it 
had  to  be  continued  in  frequent  and  always  increasing 
doses,  such  as  an  addict  requires.  It  is  a  part  of  the  his 
tory  of  dipsomania  that  when  the  unutterable  depression, 
which  is  one  of  its  phases,  does  supervene,  opium  will  fre 
quently  be  selected  in  preference  to  alcohol.  This  is  only  a 
temporary  remedy  and  alcohol  becomes  the  final  solace. 

I  cannot  recall  a  patient  that  was  a  typical  dipsomaniac, 
who  became  an  opium  addict,  although  he  might  use  opium 
between  attacks,  or  as  a  means  of  warding  off  a  threatened 
seizure.  A  cousin  who  visited  the  Poes,  and  who  became  a 
temporary  inmate  of  their  home,  describes  this  period  of 
Poe's  morbid  life.  She  is  quoted : 

He  then  frequently  refused  wine  in  her  presence,  and  adds  that  at 
that  time,  his  fits  of  intoxication  were  due  to  the  excessive  use  of 
opium. 

There  is  neither  direct  nor  presumptive  evidence  that 
Poe  was  addicted  to  opium,  though  he  did  occasionally  use 
this  drug. 

*Poe:  A  Bibliographic  Study.    Page  364. 


POE:  A  PSYCHOPATHIC  STUDY        63 

Dr.  English,  at  one  time  Poe's  friend  and  boon  com 
panion,  but  later  his  avowed  enemy,  testified : 

Had  Poe  the  opium  habit  when  I  knew  him,  I  should  both  as  a 
physician  and  a  man  of  observation,  have  discovered  it  during  his 
frequent  visits  to  my  rooms,  my  visits  to  his  house,  and  our  meetings 
elsewhere. 

Dr.  Carter,  who  was  intimate  with  Poe,  and  at  times 
treated  him  during  his  last  Richmond  visit,  wrote : 

He  never  used  opium  in  any  instance  that  I  am  aware  of.  Had  it 
been  habitual  it  would  have  been  detected,  as  the  poet  numbered 
among  his  associates  a  half  dozen  physicians.  I  never  heard  it  hinted 
at,  and  if  he  had  contracted  the  habit  it  would  have  accompanied  him 
to  Richmond. 

Poe,  in  a  letter  he  wrote  to  "Annie,"  gives  a  picture  of 
the  mental  torture  from  which  he  suffered,  and  his  method 
of  obtaining  relief : 

You  saw,  you  felt  the  agony  of  grief  with  which  I  bade  you  farewell 
— you  remember  my  expression  of  gloom — of  a  dreadful  horrible  fore 
boding  of  111.  Indeed — indeed  it  seemed  to  me  that  Death  approached 
me  even  then,  and  that  I  was  involved  in  the  shadow  that  went  before 
him.  ...  I  remember  nothing  distinctly  from  that  moment  till  I 
found  myself  in  Providence.  I  went  to  bed  and  wept  through  a  long, 
long,  hideous  night  of  despair.  When  the  day  broke  I  arose  and  en 
deavored  to  quiet  my  mind  by  a  rapid  walk  in  the  cold  keen  air,  but 
all  would  not  do — the  Demon  tortured  me  still.  Finally  I  procured  two 
ounces  of  laudanum,  and  without  returning  to  my  hotel,  took  the  cars 
back  to  Boston.  ...  I  implored  you  to  come  then,  mentioning  the 
place  where  I  should  be  found  in  Boston.  Having  written  this  letter  I 
swallowed  about  half  the  laudanum,  and  hurried  to  the  post  office,  in 
tending  not  to  take  the  rest  till  I  saw  you — for  I  did  not  doubt  for  one 
moment  that  Annie  would  keep  her  sacred  promise.  But  I  had  not  cal 
culated  on  the  strength  of  the  laudanum  for  before  I  reached  the  post- 
office  my  reason  was  entirely  gone  and  the  letter  was  never  put  in.  Let 
me  pass  over — my  darling  sister — the  awful  horrors  which  succeeded. 
A  friend  was  at  hand  who  aided  me  (if  it  can  be  called  saving)  saved 
me,  but  it  is  only  the  last  three  days  that  I  have  been  able  to 
remember  what  occurred  in  that  dreary  interval.  It  appears  that  after 
the  laudanum  was  rejected  from  the  stomach  I  became  calm,  to  the 


64     •   POE:  A  PSYCHOPATHIC  STUDY 

casual  observer,  sane — so  that  I  was  suffered  to  go  back  to  Provi 
dence.  ...  I  am  so  ill — so  terribly,  hopelessly  ill  in  body  and  in 
mind,  that  I  feel  I  cannot  live.  .  .  .  Until  I  subdue  this  fearful 
agitation,  which  if  continued  will  destroy  my  life  or  drive  me  hope 
lessly  mad. 

Farewell — here  and  hereafter. 

This  letter  was  written  on  November  16,  1848,  a  year 
before  Poe's  death.  It  is  the  best  evidence  of  the  men 
tal  torture  that  overcame  Poe  during  these  frequently- 
repeated  seizures,  and  it  also  shows  that,  when  so  afflicted, 
he  would  resort  to  any  drug  he  believed  would  give  him  re 
lief.  In  this  particular  case,  it  is  to  be  presumed  that  Poe, 
believing  that  he  could  no  longer  bear  the  mental  pain  from 
which  he  suffered,  selected  opium  with  lethal  intent :  that 
he  was  not  accustomed  to  its  use,  and  was  not  familiar 
with  its  effect  is  made  evident  by  its  action  on  him. 

Had  he  been  a  confirmed  user  of  this  drug,  such  as 
DeQuincey  described  himself  to  be  when  he  "sipped  a  glass 
of  laudanum  negus  warm  and  without  sugar,"  it  would  not 
have  affected  him  so  seriously:  yet  any  statement  made 
either  by  DeQuincey,  or  any  other  drug  addict,  must  be 
taken  with  many  "grains"  of  allowance.  DeQuincey,  for  ex 
ample,  in  his  "Confessions,"  states  that  he  ordinarily  took 
8000  minims  of  laudanum  daily — an  amount  which  he  esti 
mates  to  contain  320  grains  of  opium — and  prides  himself 
on  his  ability  to  decrease  to  1000. 

An  ordinary  sized  tumbler  holds  about  8  ounces :  and,  as 
druggists  estimate  450  minims  to  the  ounce  of  laudanum, 
nearly  18  ounces  would  have  constituted  this  daily  con 
sumption. 

According  to  the  present  English  pharmacopoeia  the 
amount  of  opium  that  is  contained  in  laudanum  is  calcu 
lated  on  a  10%  basis:  in  an  ounce,  there  are  45  grains, 
or  in  8000  minims,  800  grains.  It  is  entirely  possible  that 
at  the  time  DeQuincey  was  in  the  habit  of  using  this  drug, 


POE:  A  PSYCHOPATHIC  STUDY        65 

the  opium  content  might  have  been  somewhat  smaller; 
but,  as  far  as  I  can  ascertain,  this  was  never  so  low  as  4%. 
The  fact  not  realized  by  DeQuincey,  certainly  one  that  has 
not  been  mentioned  by  him  or  others,  was  the  enormous 
dosage  of  alcohol  daily  consumed.  Possibly  he  did  not 
know  the  constituents  of  laudanum  and,  for  this  reason, 
could  not  have  estimated  the  result.  To  manufacture 
laudanum  it  is  necessary  that  the  opium  be  infused  in  an 
alcoholic  mixture,  known  as  proof  spirits.  This  varies  in 
strength,  from  50%  to  65%,  or  70%.  Necessarily,  with  the 
enormous  dosage  of  opium,  1 8  ounces  of  proof  spirits  were 
consumed. 

While  neither  of  these  amounts  is  impossible,  it  is  ex 
tremely  improbable  that  any  man,  especially  with  De 
Quincey 's  known  feeble  physique,  could  have  long  endured 
this  enormous  dosage  of  alcohol  and  opium; 

Many  other  statements  made  by  DeQuincey  as  to  the 
effect  opium  had  on  him,  must  be  taken  with  equal  distrust. 
His  "visions,"  instead  of  having  had  their  origin  in  the 
use  of  opium,  were  the  result  of  an  overworked  imagination. 
They  could  not  have  been  a  part  of  the  drug-life  of  such 
a  patient.  A  careful  reading  of  his  autobiography  shows 
that  he  had  visions  long  preceding  his  use  of  opium. 

Possibly  DeQuincey  did  not  intend  that  all  of  his  state 
ments  should  be  taken  literally.  He  had  many  visionary 
dream-children  and  he  might  have  magnified  his  state 
ments  as  to  dosage,  as  is  frequently  the  case  with  addicts. 
He  was  given  visions  vouchsafed  to  no  other  mortal. 

Poe  occasionally  used  opium  for  the  relief  of  mental 
pain.  He  was  not  an  addict,  and  he  did  not  use  opium  to 
induce  visions. 

When  the  opium  habit  becomes  established,  its  usage  is 
necessarily  continuous ;  and  the  dosage  in  all  cases  is  slowly 
increased,  though  the  patient,  recognizing  the  danger, 
makes  determined  and  intelligent  attempts  to  discontinue. 


66        POE:  A  PSYCHOPATHIC  STUDY 

Even  with  medical  aid,  recovery  is  difficult.  Patients  usually 
resort  to  this  drug  to  relieve  some  morbid  condition  or 
affliction.  DeQuincey  to  the  contrary,  I  have  never  known  a 
patient  to  use  opium  habitually  for  the  purpose  of  produc 
ing  hallucinatory  visions,  or  clearer  and  keener  mental  con 
cepts,  or  more  lucid  thought.  It  is  usually  used  for  the 
purpose  of  inducing  what,  in  other  and  normal  individuals, 
is  a  sense  of  well-being.  It  is  not  possible  that  any  of  Poe's 
work,  whether  prose  or  poetry,  was  the  product  of  either 
opium  or  alcohol ;  nor  could  he  have  written  his  master 
pieces  while  under  the  influence  of  drugs.  No  man  can  per 
form  as  well  under  an  intoxicant  as  when  the  brain  is  clear. 
This  conclusion  is  the  result  of  elaborate  and  well-attested 
experiments,  conducted  on  men  following  all  vocations  in 
life  without  varying  the  well  established  law  that  while 
under  alcohol  they  may  do  things  more  boldly  and  more 
recklessly,  they  cannot  do  them  so  intelligently  or  accu 
rately,  or  even  so  rapidly  as  when  they  are  free  from 
stimulants. 

To  say  that  many  brilliant  men  have  indulged  to  excess 
and  in  spite  of  this  have  accomplished  wonderful  things,  is 
simply  to  confuse  the  morbid  ills,  which  frequently  accom 
pany  the  neurosis  of  hereditary  capacity,  with  that  which 
constitutes  their  excellence.  The  vision  of  Kubla  Khan 
may  have  come  in  sleep  as  Coleridge  describes,  but  this 
does  not  mean  that  the  vision  was  the  result  of  an  opium 
dream.  Very  curious  things  occur  in  the  dream  state,  and 
the  result  of  the  brain's  unconscious  cerebration  is  one  of 
the  most  interesting  of  psychological  problems. 

Occasionally  it  happens  that  one,  seduced  by  the  antici 
pated  pleasure  he  will  derive  from  the  use  of  opium,  or 
urged  by  curiosity  to  explore  and  to  experience  the  effect 
of  this  forbidden  drug,  or  forced  into  its  use  because  of 
some  neurosis,  will  dare  its  dangers.  At  first  the  experi 
ence  is  pleasurable,  whatever  the  ultimate  pain  and 


POE:  A  PSYCHOPATHIC  STUDY        67 

regret.  Because  of  this  our  poets  still  sing  the  pleasures  of 
opium : 

I  am  engulfed,  and  drown  deliciously. 
Soft  music  like  a  perfume,  and  sweet  light, 
Golden  with  audible  odours  exquisite, 
Swathe  me  with  cerements  for  eternity. 
Time  is  no  more.  I  pause  and  yet  I  flee. 
A  million  ages  wrap  me  round  with  night. 
I  drain  a  million  ages  of  delight. 
I  hold  the  future  in  my  memory. 

Also  I  have  this  garret  which  I  rent, 
This  bed  of  straw,  and  this  that  was  a  chair, 
This  worn-out  body,  like  a  tattered  tent, 
This  crust,  of  which  the  rats  have  eaten  part, 
This  pipe  of  opium ;  rage,  remorse,  despair ; 
This  soul  at  pawn  and  this  delirious  heart. 

Poe's  power  of  analysis  and  ability  to  decipher  the  most 
difficult  cryptograms,  although  casually  mentioned  as  a 
curious  mental  recreation,  have  never  received  the  full  con 
sideration  that  the  possession  of  such  a  faculty  deserves. 

There  is  a  class  of  defectives  medically  called  "Idiot 
Savant,"  who,  although  they  may  show  evidence  of  weak- 
mindedness  in  certain  directions,  in  others  exhibit  a  mar 
velous  development  of  brain  capacity.  Blind  Tom,  the 
musician,  who  could  at  will  recall  and  play  any  musical 
selection  he  had  heard,  in  spite  of  the  fact  that  he  was 
mentally  so  feeble  that  he  could  not  receive  a  musical 
education,  is  an  excellent  example  of  this  mental  disorder. 
Occasionally  there  are  children,  known  as  lightning  calcu 
lators,  who  can  solve  the  most  complicated  sums  in  addi 
tion,  subtraction,  root  extraction,  or  other  arithmetical 
examples,  yet  who  in  other  directions  show  mental  feeble 
ness.  It  is  an  accompaniment  of  either  precocity  or  sub- 
normality.  An  interesting  illustration  occurred  some  years 
ago  when  a  boy  of  twelve  was  admitted  to  one  of  our 
great  universities  as  a  mental  phenomenon.  It  was  an- 


68        POE:  A  PSYCHOPATHIC  STUDY 

nounced  that  this  marked  intellectual  superiority  was  the 
result  of  judicious  parental  effort,  and  that  any  child,  men 
tally  normal,  could  be  equally  rapidly  developed  provided 
wise  and  efficient  methods  were  adopted  in  early  mental 
training.  Apparently  no  one  recognized  this  as  a  beginning 
intellectual  abnormality  which  was  probably  an  early 
symptom  of  Dementia  Praecox. 

Only  very  occasionally  is  this  particular  faculty  re 
tained,  and,  as  the  brain  is  developed  and  age  opens  up 
new  fields  for  its  occupation,  the  power  is  gradually  lost. 
At  least,  such  a  development  is  a  fortunate  termination. 
Very  rarely  do  they  flower  and  fruit.  Macauley,  Pope,  and 
a  few  other  eminent  men  possessed  this  faculty,  and  re 
tained  it  without  developing  other  manifestations  of 
psychoneuroses.  To  this  same  category  belong  the  child 
poets — if  rhythm  and  meter  constitute  poetry  apart  from 
substance — as  well  as  other  manifestations  of  abnormal 
mental  development.  These  aptitudes,  as  a  rule,  affect  the 
memory,  and  are  exhibited  by  a  possession  of  the  higher 
intellectual  powers,  especially  of  artistic  capacity  rather 
than  of  the  logical  faculties.  For  this  reason,  I  do  not  be 
lieve  that  the  precocious  inheritance  of  Poe  was  altogether 
responsible  for  this  unusual  mental  gift ;  nor  can  I  compre 
hend  in  what  way  or  by  what  means  Poe  did  accomplish 
what  to  him  was  a  very  simple  solution,  but  which,  to  the 
ordinary  mind,  is  impossible  of  accomplishment.  It  is  dif 
ficult  for  the  race  horse  to  explain  to  the  dray  horse  in  just 
what  way  he  does  excel,  or  why  he  can  so  greatly  outdis 
tance  the  other.  We  also  are  dumb  when  we  attempt  to 
explain  such  "gifts." 

It  is  possible  that  this  logical  faculty,  which  Poe  did 
possess  to  such  an  unusual  extent,  was  more  or  less  con 
nected  with  his  marked  ability  to  select,  and  so  place  his 
words  as  to  embody  an  idea  and  picture  an  image  after  the 
method  of  the  untaught  artist,  who  occasionally  may  ac- 


POE:  A  PSYCHOPATHIC  STUDY        69 

complish  what  no  school  can  teach.  Yet  no  man  dare 
assert  as  a  fact  what  "the  highest  mounted  mind"  has  been 
unable  to  grasp,  and  we  can  only  suggest  some  hopeful  sol 
ution  of  this  Oedipean  riddle  of  abnormal  as  well  as  of 
normal  psychology. 

Some  of  Poe's  writings  could  not  have  been  evolved 
except  by  the  use  of  a  reasoning  brain  at  its  highest  point 
of  efficiency.  Had  it  not  been  clear,  it  could  no  more  have 
discerned  the  images  it  did  reflect  than  could  a  distorted 
mirror  accurately  reproduce  the  image  of  one  looking  into 
it.  I  refer  especially  to  Poe's  tales  of  Ratiocination  and  a 
certain  few  of  his  poems,  among  which  The  Raven  must 
be  mentioned ;  although  it  may  not  have  been  written  by 
that  process  of  deduction  and  calculation,  and  in  the  man 
ner  in  which  Poe  claimed  that  he  conceived  and  built  it 
up.  And  possibly  it  was  composed  as  he  described.  On  the 
other  hand,  such  a  poem  as  Ulalume  might  have  been  for 
mulated  in  a  brain  which  was  somewhat  diseased,  but  whose 
capacity  for  rhythm  and  euphony  remained  unimpaired. 

It  is  not  possible  that  a  brain  disordered  by  alcohol  could 
have  been  attuned  to  such  harmony.  Like  an  inspired  song, 
it  may  burst  forth,  unpremeditated  and  fully  matured,  but 
such  inspiration  is  not  the  result  of  alcohol. 

We  know  the  genesis  of  one  of  these  poems.  We  have  a 
version  of  The  Bells  while  it  was  still  in  embryo.  In  its  be 
ginning,  it  was  but  dimly  conceived,  and  it  was  painfully 
gestated  and  reached  its  present  state  of  perfection  only 
by  painstaking  elaboration.  While  it  is  true  that  Poe  had 
the  sense  of  rhythm,  and  the  ability  so  to  arrange  euphon 
ious  words  and  phrases  as  to  produce  the  tintinabulation 
of  The  Bells,  this  poem  did  not  come  forth  full  grown  and 
perfect  at  birth,  as  was  the  case  with  The  Raven. 

Probably  many  others  of  Poe's  poems  required  equal 
nurture  and  painstaking  gestation.  In  this  diseased  condi 
tion,  his  brain  was  not  so  resilient,  nor  did  it  respond  to  the 


70        POE:  A  PSYCHOPATHIC  STUDY 

demands  made  on  it  so  readily;  yet  his  sense  of  euphony 
remained  with  him  to  the  end. 

Poe  was  now  rapidly  approaching  the  "old  age"  to 
which  he  had  jokingly  alluded  in  his  preface  to  Tamerlane. 
He  was  thirty-five ;  yet,  because  of  the  degeneration  in  the 
brain  cells  and  the  congested  and  thickened  meninges,  as 
well  as  by  reason  of  the  law  of  early  decay  which  always 
accompanies  precocity,  production,  such  as  had  charac 
terized  his  early  manhood,  was  no  longer  possible. 

While  The  Raven  had  been  published  early  in  this  period 
of  mental  decadence,  and  still  later  there  had  appeared 
Ulalume,  The  Bells,  and  Annabel  Lee,  Poe's  real  capacity  for 
discriminating  and  sustained  work  was  passing.  To  a  cer 
tain  extent  "Graham's,"  and  noticeably  the  "Broadway 
Journal",  were  padded  with  twice  and  thrice  told  tales,  not 
because  Poe  did  not  wish  to  furnish  fresh  material,  but  be 
cause  he  could  not.  From  this  time,  his  work  showed  his 
mental  abnormalities.  I  refer  especially  to  his  discussion  of 
the  cosmogony  of  the  universe,  which  he  dedicated  to 
Alexander  Von  Humboldt,  and  which  he  called  "Eureka," 
in  the  belief  that  he  had  found  the  solution  and  had 
solved  the  riddle  of  the  universe. 

Poe's  neurosis  has  been  so  exploited,  and  so  marvelous 
and  many  sided  was  his  genius,  that  it  has  been  a  difficult 
matter  for  his  critical  biographers  to  classify  him. 

Was  he  the  Jekyll  of  Gill  or  the  Hyde  of  Griswold? 

Biography  is  as  much  a  matter  of  skillful  delineation  as 
is  the  profession  of  an  artist,  and  it  can  be  successfully 
pursued  only  by  one  who  is  an  impressionist — not  by  one 
who  copies  too  closely  from  nature.  If  it  be  necessary  to 
make  a  photographic  reproduction,  this  delineation  must 
be  made  by  one  who  is  a  master  of  that  art.  The  result 
ing  portrait  will  never  satisfy  unless  its  subject  has  been 
fully  retouched  and  the  blemishes,  which  are  a  part  of  every 
human  countenance,  have  been  removed. The  aging  wrinkle 


POE:  A  PSYCHOPATHIC  STUDY        71 

that  creases  the  forehead,  the  converging  "crow's  feet" 
which  accusingly  point  to  the  arcus  senilis,  the  wart  that 
is  slowly  displacing  the  beauty-giving  mole,  even  the 
statuesque  pose  we  assume,  and  our  attempt  to  look  pleas 
ant  when  the  iron  tongs  grip  our  cranium — all  these,  as  a 
rule,  are  painstakingly  removed ;  or  should  the  artist  be  no 
artist,  are  so  modified  that  one  may  lose  his  individuality. 
Occasionally  the  photographer  is  compelled  to  take  a  side 
view  because  of  some  hideous  deformity. 

Should  the  photographer  whom  we  have  trusted  to 
make  our  likeness  be  so  careless  as  to  finish  and  to  mount 
the  photograph  as  it  comes  from  the  camera,  without  re 
touching  or  in  any  way  attempting  to  disguise  time's 
ravages  or  nature's  handicap,  we  have  a  right  to  criticise 
the  careless  workmanship  that  was  content  to  represent  us 
with  the  disfiguring  yet  characteristic  facial  blemishes. 

The  biographer  occasionally  minimizes  faults,  explains 
away  defects,  and,  in  time,  may  so  apotheosize  his  sub 
ject,  that  we,  who  once  knew  him  and  loved  him  in  spite 
of  his  frailties,  who  knew  by  experience  his  shortcomings 
and  the  human  side  of  him,  may  be  pardoned  if  we  do  not 
at  first  glance  recognize  the  unfamiliar  pose  and  the  re 
touched  presentment.  For  this  reason  no  biographer  can 
satisfy  who  does  not  attempt,  while  giving  the  essential 
facts,  to  so  Boswellize  his  subject  as  to  transform  him  into 
his  own  mental  image,  freed  from  petty  faults  and  minor 
weaknesses. 

Friendly  biographers  have  committed  serious  errors.  I 
do  not  care  for  Froude  who  enumerated  the  dyspeptic 
foibles  of  Carlyle,  nor  do  I  uphold  Trelawney  who  exhib 
ited  the  antics  of  the  half-mad  Byron,  nor  do  I  love  Gris- 
wold  who  so  unkindly  defamed  the  man  whom  he  should 
have  honored  and  who,  for  this  reason,  shall  be  known  as 
the  "unfaithful  servant  who  abused  his  trust." 

I   want  no  literary  anatomist  to  dissect  my  inmost 


72        POE:  A  PSYCHOPATHIC  STUDY 

thoughts,  nor  to  explore  my  secret  places — hidden  even 
from  myself — nor  to  speculate  on  their  untried  possibilities, 
nor  to  exhibit  my  organs  as  specimens  of  dextrous  carv 
ing.  If  Nirvana  be  denied  the  spirit  that  animates  me,  and 
if  my  remains  be  refused  the  right  of  cremation,  and  if  they 
must  still  cumber  the  earth  and  be  pointed  to  as  anatom 
ical  specimens  for  exhibition,  at  least  let  my  body  be  filled 
with  spices  and  my  skin  be  softened  with  the  balm  of 
Gilead,  and  let  me  be  wrapped  in  spikenard  and  myrrh  as 
the  kindly  Egyptians  embalmed  those  whom  they  loved. 

Should  the  biographer  deliberately  pose  his  subject 
from  the  scar  side,  exhibiting  all  deformities,  and  magni 
fying  blemishes,  at  the  same  time  touching  out  the  features 
that  do  give  individuality  and  the  right  to  posterity's 
remembrance,  he  may  no  longer  claim  authority  to  repre 
sent,  or  to  be  associated  with  one  he  has  so  foully  wronged, 
nor  to  be  quoted  when  such  a  life  is  discussed. 

Such  an  one  was  the  Reverend  Rufus  Wilmot  Griswold, 
who,  by  artifice  and  fraud,  has  so  firmly  and  indissolubly 
connected  his  name  with  that  of  Poe,  and  in  the  preface  to 
Poe's  own  works  has  made  statements  of  such  a  character, 
so  distorted  when  they  bear  the  slightest  semblance  of 
truth,  when  not  absolutely  false  so  perverted  as  to  be  un 
recognizable,  that  I  cannot  pass  him  over  without  full 
discussion. 

Griswold  was  a  man  of  Poe's  own  age,  who  had  no  he 
reditary  weaknesses,  no  compulsions,  no  obsessions — no 
genius.  He  was  a  very  moral  man.  He  was  a  preacher. 

I  imagine  him  to  have  been  a  man  strongly  built,  with  a 
squat  figure;  square,  flat,  stubby  fingers,  attached  to  a 
markedly  prehensile,  hairy  hand ;  jutting  brows  surmount 
ing  small,  close  set  eyes  that  looked  out  boldly  and  self- 
confidently;  a  long,  flat  nose  with  spreading  alae,  and  a 
prognathous  jaw  covered  with  a  heavy  beard  which  de 
scended  and  became  a  part  of  his  hairy  chest.  I  cannot  say 


POE:  A  PSYCHOPATHIC  STUDY        73 

that  this  picture,  in  outward  form,  more  resembles  Gris- 
wold's  real  features  than  that  distorted  moral  picture  he 
drew  resembled  Poe;  yet  God  marks  all  of  us.  Beyond 
question  there  should  have  been  some  such  physique  to 
have  contained  the  strong,  sterling  qualities  that  some 
times  do  disfigure  man.  His  face  must  have  differed  from 
that  of  Poe  as  the  Ass  into  which  Bottom  was  transformed 
differed  from  that  of  a  blue-blooded  Arabian.  His  coun 
tenance  assuredly  bore  that  expression  of  sanctity,  which, 
in  olden  time,  Hogarth  gave  to  the  Puritan.  It  must  have 
been  characterized  by  that  sanctimonious  smirk  of  the  man 
who  never  has,  in  public,  committed  a  wrong  action  or 
thought  a  wrong  thought.  Such  men  we  had  when  the  in 
quisition  flourished,  when  puritanism  ruled  our  land  and 
witches  were  burned,  while  old  Cotton  Mather  from  his 
pulpit  urged  on  his  flock  to  further  deeds  of  righteousness. 
Mrs.  Whitman,  recalling  Poe's  picture  in  the  first  vol 
ume  of  his  collected  works,  says : 

The  reader  who  has  this  volume  in  his  hands,  turns  back  musingly 
to  look  upon  the  features  of  the  poet  in  whom  resided  such  inspiration. 
But  though  well  engraved,  and  useful  as  recalling  his  features  to  those 
who  knew  him  with  the  angel  shining  through,  the  picture  is  from  a 
daguerreotype  and  gives  no  idea  of  the  beauty  of  Edgar  Poe. 

As  to  whether  Poe  was  responsible  when  he  requested 
Griswold  to  edit  his  works  or,  as  a  matter  of  fact,  whether 
this  request  was  ever  made,  will  be  discussed  later.  It  is 
certain  that  at  no  time  did  Poe  ask  or  expect  Griswold  to 
write  a  memoir  to  be  published  as  an  introduction  to  his 
completed  work. 

This  final  tribute,  which  should  properly  introduce  Poe 
to  the  world,  if  he  required  such  introduction,  had  been 
assigned  to  Willis.  At  best  it  was  to  be  perfunctory,  as  is 
usually  the  case  when  some  Personage  addresses  a  small 
town  audience,  and  its  leading  citizen  is  asked  to  take  a 


74        POE:  A  PSYCHOPATHIC  STUDY 

seat  upon  the  stage  and  make  a  few  "introductory  re 
marks."  Should  this  introductory  speech  be  filled  with 
scathing  denunciation  reflecting  on  the  speaker's  past  his 
tory,  his  morals,  his  manners,  and  branding  him  a  felon, 
surely  the  introducer  hardly  would  be  thought  to  have  car 
ried  out  honorably  his  part  of  the  contract.  But  should 
the  janitor,  whose  business  it  is  to  sweep  the  hall,  to 
arrange  the  chairs,  to  light  the  gas,  and  to  see  that  the 
room  is  properly  heated  and  aired,  come  upon  the  stage 
after  the  Personage  had  been  properly  introduced,  and 
volunteer  his  billingsgate,  surely  the  audience  would  re 
gard  it  as  a  trespass  and  they  would  demand  that  this  care 
taker  return  to  the  sweeping  of  dirt,  and  to  the  dusting  of 
the  statuary  that  adorns  this  "Hall  of  Fantasy". 

Griswold  was  a  man  experienced  in  literary  criticism, 
with  some  pretension  to  the  role  of  arbiter  as  to  those 
things  that  should  be  preserved,  and  that  should  constitute 
contemporary  American  literature ;  yet  he  was  possessed  of 
no  originality  or  capacity  further  than  that  second-rate 
capacity  for  collecting  and  annotating  the  work  of  others. 
He  had  published  a  few  sermons  and  had  written  some 
poetry,  but  his  great  literary  activity  had  consisted  in  col 
lecting,  incubating,  and  associating  his  own  name  with  the 
work  of  his  contemporaries.  He  had  edited  anthologies 
of  the  American  poets,  and  had  compiled  books.  To  him 
we  must  credit  "Poetry  and  Prose  Writers  of  America," 
together  with  "Washington  and  His  Generals,"  "Napoleon 
and  His  Marshals,"  "The  Female  Poets  of  America,"  and 
other  publications  of  like  caliber.  He  was  also  responsible 
for  "The  Cypress  Wreath:  A  Book  of  Consolation  for 
Those  Who  Mourn,"  and  a  "Biographical  Annual, Consist 
ing  of  Memoirs  of  Eminent  Persons  Recently  Deceased". 
Certainly  none  of  these  works,  either  by  title  or  contents, 
gave  any  evidence  of  the  powers  of  vituperation  which 
dwelt  in  the  reverend  gentleman.  It  is  certain  he  would  not 


POE:  A  PSYCHOPATHIC  STUDY        75 

not  have  dared  write  of  Poe,  living,  as  he  did  of  Poe,  dead. 
It  was  impossible  for  Poe,  in  discussing  an  author,  to  tell 
a  literary  lie,  and,  sooner  or  later  when  he  warmed  to  his 
subject,  not  to  express  himself  freely  and  fully,  and  to 
write  as  his  literary  conscience  dictated ;  even  while  occas 
ionally  he  did  try  to  modify  his  opinion. 

Poe's  mind  was  elementary  and  only  saw  that  which 
was  essentially  true.  It  was  not  the  retort  of  the  chemist 
which  transforms  the  atoms  of  the  elements  into  the  mole 
cule,  completely  changing  form,  color,  and  substance.  It 
was  rather  the  primitive  alembic  of  the  alchemist  and, 
with  all  his  effort,  Poe  could  not  change  the  zinc  and  cop 
per  atoms  into  a  new  chemical  combination.  It  remained 
brass  and  he  detected  and  so  described  it.  He  could  not 
make  dross  into  gold,  but  he  almost  succeeded  where  the 
alchemist  failed — changing  the  leaden  weights  which  held 
him  down  into  a  glorious  Aureola.  However  hard  he 
tried  to  dissolve  and  render  homogenous  the  incongru 
ous  mass,  sooner  or  later,  as  he  warmed  to  his  work,  the 
dregs  and  impurities  of  the  mixture  sank,  and  out  of  the 
capital  of  his  alembic  poured  the  liquid  essence  of  Truth. 

He  could  only  reproduce  what,  to  his  mind,  actually  ex 
isted,  and  it  came  forth  so  surcharged  with  literary  wrath 
that  only  the  scorched  victim  could  dissent. 

Griswold  had  proposed  to  insert  some  of  Poe's  work  in 
one  of  his  anthologies — in  fact  it  was  in  this  way  that  Poe 
had  made  his  acquaintance.  Poe  did  not  hesitate  to  criti 
cize,  fully  and  freely,  'The  Poets  and  Poetry  of  America," 
and  seriously  to  differ  with  Griswold  in  his  estimate  of  cer 
tain  authors.  It  is  also  true  that  because  Griswold  occupied 
the  position  vacated  by  Poe  on  "Graham's  Magazine,"  as 
well  as  for  other  reasons,  there  had  resulted  a  personal  en 
mity.  After  Poe's  death  Griswold  exhibited  marked  inter 
est  in  the  welfare  of  Mrs.  Clemm,  and  sympathized  with 
her  in  her  bereavement,  and  expressed  friendship  for  Poe. 


76        POE:  A  PSYCHOPATHIC  STUDY 

Had  there  been  no  reconciliation,  it  is  impossible  for  me 
to  conceive  the  innate  vindictiveness  of  a  man  who  would 
deliberately  take  such  revenge  on  a  dead  foe.  I  prefer  to 
believe  that  the  man's  mental  caliber  was  so  narrow  and 
his  moral  fiber  so  coarse,  that  he  did  not  appreciate  the 
nature  and  quality  of  his  act,  nor  the  enormity  of  this 
breach  of  trust,  simply  because  he  had  none  of  the  in 
stincts  that  would  have  restrained  a  more  gentle  man.  That 
there  was  some  foundation  for  this  personal  assault  and 
these  distorted  statements,  makes  it  the  more  unforgiv 
able.  Had  Griswold  felt  it  necessary  to  go  into  such  details, 
he  should  have  gone  further  and  sought  their  source. 
Certain  it  is  that  many  of  Poe's  literary  acquaintances, 
although  they  had  received  over-severe  criticism  at  his 
hands,  or  had  suffered  in  a  business  way  to  a  far  greater 
extent  than  had  Griswold,  came  to  the  defense  of  the 
memory  of  Poe,  and  forgot  small  antagonisms  and 
personal  misunderstandings  in  rehabilitating  the  good 
name  of  the  man  whom  they  regarded  as  their  literary 
master. 

If  any  of  Poe's  business  associates  had  the  right  to  com 
plain,  or  to  criticize  certain  acts  and  statements  of  Poe 
during  his  periods  of  irresponsibility,  it  was  Graham  of  the 
"Gentleman's  Magazine;"  yet  he,  supported  by  Willis  and 
other  literary  friends  and  associates,  so  bitterly  denounced 
the  death  notice  written  by  Griswold  for  the  "New  York 
Tribune,"  as  to  precipitate  a  controversy  the  echoes  of 
which  have  not  yet  ceased  to  reverberate.  Griswold  excul 
pated  himself  by  asserting  that,  at  the  time  he  wrote 
the  "Tribune"  sketch,  he  did  not  know  he  had  been 
appointed  Poe's  literary  executor.  Nor  is  it  certain  that 
he  was  selected.  He  had  "heard"  that  Poe  "had  long 
'  been  in  the  habit  of  expressing  a  desire  that  in  the  event 
of  his  death  I  should  be  his  editor."  But  it  is  not  for  this 
preliminary  sketch  that  Griswold's  name  is  anathema.  As 


POE:  A  PSYCHOPATHIC  STUDY        77 

a  reviewer  or  compiler  he  had  the  right  to  express  his  opin 
ion  of  Poe ;  although  it  might  have  been  a  more  friendly 
act  and  one  more  in  consonance  with  the  dictates  of 
decency  and  humanity  had  he  foregone  this  right,  consider 
ing  their  past  differences  and  association.  After  accepting 
the  editorship  of  Poe's  writings,  Griswold  was  under  no 
misconception  as  to  the  duties  it  entailed. 

I  did  not  suppose  I  was  debarred  from  the  expression  of  any  feel 
ings  or  opinions  in  the  case  of  the  acceptance  of  this  office,  the  duties  of 
which  I  regarded  as  simply  the  collection  of  his  works  and  their  publi 
cation  for  the  benefit  of  the  rightful  inheritors  of  his  property,  in  a 
form  and  manner  that  would  have  probably  been  most  agreeable  to 
his  own  wishes. 

In  the  "Tribune"  article  published  a  few  days  after 
Poe's  death,  Griswold  made  certain  statements  which 
seriously  reflected  on  Poe's  moral  character,  and  detailed 
incidents  which,  to  him,  seemed  to  justify  the  statement 
that  while  it  might  surprise  many  to  learn  of  Poe's  death, 
4 'but  few  would  be  grieved  by  it."  Had  this  statement  been 
the  only  offense  no  further  notice  would  have  been  taken 
of  it,  especially  as  Griswold  did  not  sign  his  own  name  but, 
for  a  good  reason,  chose  "Ludwig"  as  a  fit  pseudonym 
to  accompany  this  denunciatory  obituary.  The  article 
brought  forth  several  active  rejoinders  and,  in  time, 
Griswold  stood  unmasked.  To  defend  himself,  he  attempted 
to  prove  that  Poe  was  all  that  he  had  originally  asserted, 
and  that  he  had  not  told  the  half  of  his  victim's  misdeeds. 

If,  when  Griswold  wrote  this  first  article  he  did  not  know 
he  was  to  preside  over  Poe's  literary  remains,  he  certainly 
did  know,  as  editor  and  in  complete  control  of  Poe's  col 
lected  works,  that  by  reproducing  his  original  charges  and 
amplifying  them,  he  was  holding  up  to  obloquy  for  future 
generations  a  literary  artist  the  latchet  of  whose  shoe  he 
was  not  worthy  to  touch. 

He  took  advantage  of  this  accidental  relationship  to  be- 


78        POE:  A  PSYCHOPATHIC  STUDY 

smirch  the  memory  of  one  whom  by  all  the  codes  of  de 
cency  he  was  under  obligations  to  shield.  He  attempted  to 
prove  that  Poe  was  as  evil  and  as  morally  corrupt  as  he 
had  described  him  in  the  Ludwig  article.  The  unforgivable 
act  was  his  insertion  of  this  as  a  memoir  prefacing  Poe's 
collected  works,  so  that  they  became  the  vehicle  for  carry 
ing  his  contentious  and  defamatory  statements ;  and,  worse 
than  this,  it  necessitated  all  who  read  the  writings  of  Poe 
to  be  tempted  to  believe  these  scurrilous  accusations,  for, 
unfortunately,  they  bore  the  imprint  of  authority. 

It  would  have  been  better  for  the  memory  of  both  Poe 
and  Gr  is  wold  had  Poe  died  somewhat  earlier  and  been  in 
cluded  in  the  "Memoirs  of  Eminent  Persons  Recently 
Deceased,"  or  even  in  "The  Cypress  Wreath :  The  Book  of 
Consolation  for  Those  Who  Mourn".  Certainly  it  would 
have  been  better  for  Griswold,  who  did  not  confine  himself 
to  the  villification  of  the  dead  but  bitterly  assailed  those 
who  had  a  good  word  for  Poe,  and  who  were  better  ac 
quainted  with  him  through  intimate  business  and  personal 
relations.  Quoting  from  Griswold's  preface: 

My  unconsidered  and  imperfect,  but,  as  every  one  who  knew  its 
subject  readily  perceived,  very  kind  article,  was  now  vehemently 
attacked.  A  writer  under  the  signature  of  'George  R.  Graham'  in  a 
sophomorical  and  trashy  but  widely  circulated  Letter,  denounced  it  as 
'the  fancy  sketch  of  a  jaundiced  vision,'  and  'an  immortal  infamy*  and 
its  composition  'a  breach  of  trust.'  .  .  .  And  Mr.  John  Neal,  too,  who 
had  never  had  even  the  slightest  personal  acquaintance  with  Poe  in  his 
life,  rushes  from  a  sleep  which  the  public  had  trusted  was  eternal,  to 
declare  that  my  characterization  of  Poe  is  false  and  malicious,  and  that 
I  am  a  'caluminator,'  a  'Rhadamanthus'  etc.,  etc. 

All  this  is  contained  in  a  sketch,  preliminary  to  the 
memoir,  which  Griswold  inserted,  and  proves  that  he  did 
what  he  did  deliberately,  calculatingly,  and  in  cold  blood. 
He  freely  and  fully  conceded  Poe's  genius  and  did  not  deny 
to  him  primacy  as  the  greatest  of  American  writers.  This 
was  an  unnecessary  concession,  inasmuch  as  the  volumes 


POE:  A  PSYCHOPATHIC  STUDY        79 

in  which  it  was  to  appear  spoke  in  Poe's  own  behalf.  While 
unnecessary,  a  literary  estimate  with  propriety  could  have 
been  inserted.  It  was  Poe's  writings  and  not  his  morals 
that  should  have  been  a  matter  for  discussion.  Placed 
among  these  encomiums  was  a  most  malignant  attack  on 
Poe's  moral  life,  and  a  determined  attempt  to  blacken  his 
character  by  introducing  hostile  statements — some  appar 
ently  true,  but  in  no  way  proper  to  be  related  if  true ;  others 
absolutely  false  and  malicious. 

What  Griswold  did  not  dare  to  state  definitely — and 
there  was  little  he  failed  to  allege — he  introduced  by  insin 
uation  and  innuendo.  In  describing  the  final  rupture 
between  Poe  and  Allan  he  referred  to  some  act  which, 

If  true,  throws  a  dark  shade  upon  the  quarrel,  and  a  very  ugly 
light  upon  Poe's  character.  We  shall  not  insert  it  because  it  is  one  of 
those  relations  we  think  with  Sir  Thomas  Browne,  should  never  be 
recorded, — being  Verities  whose  truth  we  fear  and  heartily  wish  there 
were  no  truth  therein  .  .  .  whose  relations  honest  minds  do  depre 
cate.  For  of  sins  heteroclital,  and  such  as  want  name  or  such  precedent, 
there  is  of ttimes  a  sin  even  in  their  history.  We  desire  no  record  of  enor 
mities;  sins  should  be  accounted  new.  They  omit  of  their  monstrosity 
as  they  fall  from  their  rarity ;  for  men  count  it  venial  to  err  with  their 
forefathers  and  foolishly  conceive  they  divide  a  sin  in  its  society.  .  .  . 
In  things  of  this  nature,  silence  commendeth  history ;  'tis  the  veniable 
part  of  things  lost;  wherein  there  must  never  arise  a  Pancirollus,  nor 
remain  any  register  but  that  of  hell. 

Such  rumors,  even  if  they  can  be  authenticated,  should 
have  no  place  in  a  memoir  where  their  mere  presence 
breeds  contagion.  Many  statements  in  which  Griswold  re 
flects  on  Poe  have  been  proved  to  be  without  foundation. 
In  this  particular  case  Poe,  at  worst,  was  under  the  in 
fluence  of  alcohol  when  he  made  some  slighting  remark  to 
Mrs.  Allan  regarding  this  second  marriage. 

Griswold  minimized  nothing.  In  every  instance  where 
an  immoral,  or  even  an  indiscreet  action,  was  alleged,  he 
made  no  allowance  for  the  fact  that  Poe  might  not  have 


80        POE:  A  PSYCHOPATHIC  STUDY 

been  responsible.  Many  of  his  statements  relate  to  inci 
dents  that  occurred  during  the  period  of  Poe's  life  when 
we  know  his  intellect  was  failing.  It  was  not  necessary 
that  Griswold  should  have  assumed  an  attitude  toward 
the  memory  of  Poe  which  did  not  fully  represent  his  own 
judgment.  Having  undertaken  the  position  of  a  literary 
executor,  it  was  not  his  duty  and  should  not  have  been  his 
pleasure  to  exhibit  in  the  worst  light  all  the  weaknesses  and 
evil  compulsions  that  exist  in  all  of  us.  He  certainly  had 
no  right  to  accept  as  a  fact,  and  to  include  in  this  memoir, 
anything  of  a  discreditable  nature  without  the  fullest  in 
vestigation,  and  then  only  as  an  elucidation  of  the  text. 
His  own  explanation  does  not  render  the  matter,  nor  the 
manner  of  his  memoir,  less  offensive. 

De  mortuis  nil  nisi  bonum  is  a  common  and  an  honorable  senti 
ment,  but  its  proper  application  would  lead  to  the  suppression  of  the 
histories  of  half  of  the  most  conspicuous  of  mankind ;  in  this  case  it  is 
impossible  on  account  of  the  notoriety  of  Mr.  Poe's  faults;  and  it 
would  be  unjust  to  the  living  against  whom  his  hands  were  always 
raised  and  who  had  no  resort  but  in  his  outlawry  from  their  sympathies. 
Moreover,  his  career  is  full  of  instruction  and  warning,  and  it  has  al 
ways  been  made  a  portion  of  the  penalty  of  wrong  that  its  anatomy 
should  be  displayed  for  the  common  study  and  advantage. 

Few  had  more  experience  in  biography  and  in  the  per 
sonal  study  of  authors  than  this  Griswold,  but  in  the  case 
of  no  other  writer  did  he  find  it  necessary  to  demonstrate 
anatomy  or  to  preach  a  lesson  to  our  youth.  Even  this 
pious  intention  does  not  justify  the  demonstration.  He 
sums  up  the  whole  matter  as  follows:' 

His  harsh  experience  had  deprived  him  of  all  faith, in  man  or  wo 
man.  He  had  made  up  his  mind  upon  the  numberless  complexities  of 
the  social  world,  and  the  whole  system  with  him  was  an  imposture. 
This  conviction  gave  a  direction  to  his  shrewd  and  naturally  un- 
amiable  character.  Still,  though  he  regarded  society  as  composed  alto 
gether  of  villains,  the  sharpness  of  his  intellect  was  not  of  the  kind 
which  enabled  him  to  cope  with  villainy,  while  it  continually  caused 
him  by  overshots  to  fail  of  the  success  of  honesty.  He  was  in  many 


POE:  A  PSYCHOPATHIC  STUDY        81 

respects  like  Francis  Vivian,  in  Bulwer's  novel  of  'The  Caxtons.' 
Passion,  in  him,  comprehended  many  of  the  worst  emotions  which 
militate  against  human  happiness.  You  could  not  contradict  him,  but 
you  raised  quick  choler;  you  could  not  speak  of  wealth  but 
his  cheek  paled  with  gnawing  envy.  The  astonishing  natural  advan 
tages  of  this  poor  boy — his  beauty,  his  readiness,  the  daring  spirit  that 
breathed  around  him  like  a  fiery  atmosphere — had  raised  his  constitu 
tional  self-confidence  into  arrogance  that  turned  his  very  claims  to  ad 
miration  into  prejudices  against  him.  Irascible,  envious — bad  enough, 
but  not  the  worst,  for  these  salient  angles  were  all  varnished  over  with 
a  cold  repellant  synicism  [sic],  his  passions  vented  themselves  in 
sneers.  There  seemed  to  him  no  moral  susceptibility;  and,  what  was 
more  remarkable  in  a  proud  nature,  little  or  nothing  of  the  true  point 
of  honor.  He  had,  to  a  morbid  excess,  that  desire  to  rise  which  is  vul 
garly  called  ambition,  but  no  wish  for  the  esteem  or  the  love  of  his 
species;  only  the  hard  wish  to  succeed — not  shine,  not  serve — succeed, 
that  he  might  have  the  right  to  despise  a  world  which  galled  his  self 
conceit. 

In  these  words  does  Griswold  close  his  self  appointed 
task  of  writing  a  memoir  of  Edgar  A.  Poe! 

Years  after  Poe's  death  his  name  remained  a  reproach 
and  a  byword,  the  synonym  of  all  that  was  vicious :  it  was 
used  to  point  a  moral  and  to  teach  the  younger  genera 
tion  the  danger  of  unbridled  passions  and  immoral 
practices.  Even  the  greatest  of  his  poems  and  the  most 
marvelous  of  his  tales  were  said  to  be  merely  the  outpour 
ings  of  a  brain  poisoned  by  alcohol  and  drugs. 

Ten  years  after  his  death  "The  Edinburgh  Review" 
thus  discusses  him : 

Edgar  Allan  Poe  was  incontestably  one  of  the  most  worthless  per 
sons  of  whom  we  have  any  record  in  the  world  of  letters.  Many  authors 
have  been  as  idle ;  many  as  improvident ;  some  as  drunken  and  dissi 
pated  and  a  few,  perhaps,  as  treacherous  and  ungrateful;  but  he 
seems  to  have  succeeded  in  attracting  and  combining,  in  his  own  per 
son,  all  the  floating  vices  which  genius  had  hitherto  shown  itself  cap 
able  of  grasping  in  its  widest  and  most  eccentric  orbit.  Yet  his  chances 
of  success  at  the  outset  of  life  were  great  and  manifold.  Nature  was 
bountiful  to  him ;  bestowing  upon  him  pleasing  powers  and  excellent 


82        POE:  A  PSYCHOPATHIC  STUDY 

talent.  He  defied  his  good  genius.  There  was  a  perpetual  strife  be 
tween  him  and  virtue,  in  which  virtue  never  triumphed.  .  .  .  He  out 
raged  his  benefactor,  he  deceived  his  friends,  he  sacrificed  his  love,  he 
became  a  beggar,  a  vagabond,  the  slanderer  of  a  woman,  the  delirious 
drunken  pauper  of  a  common  hospital — hated  by  some,  despised  by 
others,  and  avoided  by  all  respectable  men. 

This  foul  and  garbled  statement  was  approvingly  copied 
by  the  editor  of  "The  Ladies'  Repository"  a  monthly 
periodical  devoted  to  literature  and  religion,  also  edited 
by  a  preacher,  the  Rev.  D.  W.  Clark,  D.  D. 

Griswold  had  won  his  case  and  had  fully  established  the 
facts  on  which  he  had  based  his  "unconsidered  and  imper 
fect  but,  as  everyone  who  knew  its  subject  readily  per 
ceived,  very  kind  article." 

The  reverend  gentleman  had  found  the  one  method 
by  which  his  prejudiced,  untrue,  and  vicious  statements 
could  be  disseminated  equally  with  Poe's  immortal  works 
— possibly  the  only  method,  for  none  could  read  with 
out  seeing  them.  Unfortunately,  they  bore  the  imprint 
of  authority. 

It  was  in  this  same  year,  1859,  and  in  answer  to  this 
article,  that  Mrs.  Whitman  forced  herself  to  lay  bare  her 
own  story  and  to  publish  a  defense  of  Poe,  the  main  facts 
of  which  bear  intrinsic  evidence  of  truth.  While  it  was  dic 
tated  by  the  heart  rather  than  by  the  head — for  the  old 
love  dominated  her — yet  her  personal  plea,  supported  by 
those  of  many  at  that  time  living  who  knew  the  facts, 
brought  forth  numerous  defenders  whose  investigations 
have  gone  far  in  elucidating  controversial  statements  and 
in  disproving  the  most  serious  of  Griswold's  allegations. 
Among  these,  Hannay  and  Ingram  in  England,  and  Gill  in 
America,  have  been  Poe's  most  earnest  defenders.  Certain 
of  his  biographers,  such  as  Stedman,  frankly  ignore  the 
personal  details  and  confine  themselves  to  a  discussion  of 
his  writings.  Others,  like  Harrison,  imbued  with  the  love 


POE:  A  PSYCHOPATHIC  STUDY        83 

of  their  subject  because  of  association  of  locality,  and  a 
great  personal  sympathy,  while  detailing  the  facts,  yet 
minimize  and  explain.  On  the  whole  Harrison's  is,  as  all 
biographies  should  be,  an  ample  appreciation  of  all  that 
could  magnify  the  accomplishments  and  lend  glory  to  his 
subject ;  and,  although  indirectly,  he  associates  the  name  of 
our  greatest  writer  with  the  state  of  Virginia  and  her  Queen 
City,  Richmond,  "The  Virginia  Poe"  is  the  correct  charac 
terization  even  if,  by  accident,  Poe  was  born  in  Boston. 

Woodberry,  that  excellent  workman  on  whom  I  have 
depended  for  many  of  my  facts,  is  the  only  other  authority 
whom  it  is  necessary  to  discuss.  He  did  not  select  his  sub 
ject,  nor  was  he  drawn  to  it  by  any  personal  or  literary  in 
clination;  his  architect  set  him  the  task  and,  like  a  master 
carpenter,  he  builded  as  well  as  he  knew.  Selecting  sound 
material  where  strength  was  needed,  he  often  left  knot 
holes  as  peepsights,  and  made  no  effort  to  conceal  or  throw 
aside  inferior  and  occasionally  rotten  material.  Neither  the 
situation  nor  the  plan  inspired  him. 

I  was  asked  by  my  friend,  the  late  Charles  Dudley  Warner,  in 
1883,  to  write  the  life  of  Poe  for  the  'American  Men  of  Letters  Series,' 
which  he  was  then  editing.  My  attention  had  never  been  drawn  to  Poe, 
nor  my  interest  specially  excited  by  his  works ;  so  that  I  entered  upon 
my  task,  my  first  important  literary  commission,  with  a  fresh  mind ; 
and,  though  contact  with  the  subject  may  have  bred  prejudice,  I  had 
none  at  the  outset. 

This  from  a  literary  man  who  proposed  dispassionately 
to  discuss  and  anatomize  a  genius,  not  as  a  surgeon  would 
perform  some  merciful  operation  on  a  patient  he  loved,  but 
as  a  vivisectionist  would  dissect  some  unfriended  animal  in 
order  to  demonstrate  the  circulation  of  the  blood,  and 
would  run  his  scalpel  into  all  the  heart's  compartments, 
and  play  with  its  fibers.  No  pity,  no  love,  swayed  the  hand; 
only  the  deliberate  purpose  to  demonstrate  a  fact,  however 
cruelly  it  hurt,  however  wildly  the  heart  palpitated. 


84        POE:  A  PSYCHOPATHIC  STUDY 

To  write  biography  successfully  one  must  love  one's  sub 
ject.  Had  not  Boswell  loved,  as  well  as  revered,  his  John 
son,  how  easily  could  he  have  dwelt  on  the  foibles,  the 
vanities,  the  contradictions,  and  the  absurdities  which 
necessarily  are  a  part  of  the  lives  of  the  wisest  and  sanest, 
and  which,  in  the  case  of  Johnson,  come  with  almost  irre 
sistible  compulsion, — and  have  spoiled  his  biography. 

Woodberry's  statement,  "contact  with  the  subject  may 
have  bred  prejudice,"  is  explained  by  the  fact  that  this 
early  study  led  to  his  later  association  with  the  Poe  MSS., 
which  Griswold  had  "assumed."  Woodberry  had  been 
asked  to  edit  these  papers  and,  later,  had  similarly  edited 
the  Poe-Chivers  correspondence. 

Through  these  years  information  naturally  came  to  me,  also,  from 
other  sources,  though  I  have  never  engaged  in  personal  investigation 
since  writing  the  former  biography  ...  I  have  aimed  also  to  present 
in  the  text  the  facts  of  Poe's  career  as  they  lie  in  my  own  mind,  in  the 
notes  I  have  allowed  others  to  speak  freely,  for  praise  or  dispraise,  in 
order  that  all  may  have  a  fair  field  where  there  is  so  great  a  contro 
versy.  In  the  former  biography  I  excluded  much  and  suppressed  much, 
of  what  I  thought  the  world  would  willingly  let  die;  but  this  proved  a 
fruitless  attempt  to  assist  oblivion,  and  I  have,  in  the  present  work,  at 
least  noticed  all  that  had  been  said  or  alleged  on  this  subject. 

By  what  right  Griswold  claimed  and  held  Poe's  private 
papers  and  MSS.  is  not  clear.  Gill,  basing  his  statement  on 
letters  and  direct  communications  personally  made  to  him 
by  Mrs.  Clemm  says : 

It  was  simply  the  act  of  a  designing  and  unscrupulous  man, 
prompted  by  hatred  and  greed  of  gain,  taking  advantage  of  a  helpless 
woman,  unaccustomed  to  business,  to  defraud  her  of  her  rights,  and 
gratify  his  malice  and  his  avarice  at  her  expense.  A  small  sum  of 
money  having  been  given  to  Mrs.  Clemm  in  exchange  for  Poe's  private 
papers,  Dr.  Griswold  draws  up  a  paper  for  Mrs.  Clemm  to  sign,  an 
nouncing  his  appointment  as  Poe's  literary  executor.  This  is  duly 
signed  by  Mrs.  Clemm  and  printed  over  her  signature  in  the  published 
edition  of  Poe's  works.  .  .  Mrs.  Clemm,  at  the  time  she  signed  the 
paper  which  she  scarcely  understood,  had  no  idea  that  Dr.  Griswold 


POE:  A  PSYCHOPATHIC  STUDY        85 

had  any  intention  of  supplementing  Mr.  Willis'  obituary  with  any 
memoir  by  his  own  pen. 

This  refers  to  a  preface,  "To  The  Reader,"  signed  by 
Mrs.  Clemm,  which  was  inserted  in  the  first  volume, 
"Tales",  and  which,  in  addition,  contained  a  short  biogra 
phy  entitled  "Edgar  A.  Poe,"  written  by  James  Russell 
Lowell.  This  had  been  published  in  "Graham's  Magazine" 
in  1845,  and  was  here  republished  with  slight  variations. 
With  this  was  a  most  appreciative  review  of  Poe  and  his 
work  by' Willis,  under  the  title  "Death  of  Edgar  A.  Poe." 

It  was  in  the  third  volume  of  the  "Literati"  that  the 
immortal  infamy"  was  committed.  A  noticeable  thing  is 
that  Woodberry,  who  edited  these  papers,  possibly  because 
he  was  a  classmate  of  the  younger  Griswold,  had  full  infor 
mation  of  all  known  facts.  He  does  not  refer  to  the  acquire 
ment  of  these  MSS.,  although  he  definitely  states  that 
Griswold's  editorship  of  Poe's  works  brought  no  financial 
reward.  As  a  rule,  Woodberry  defends  Griswold  and,  as  far 
as  facts  allow,  upholds  all  charges  made  against  Poe.  Certain 
it  is  that  this  association  "may  have  bred  prejudice." 

Nor  did  this  publication  bring  any  financial  gain  to 
Mrs.  Clemm,  although  she  was  made  to  say : 

In  this  edition  of  my  son's  works,  published  for  my  benefit,  it  is  a 
great  pleasure  for  me  to  thank  Mr.  Griswold  and  Mr.  Willis  .  .  . 
for  labors  .  .  .  which  they  performed  without  any  other  recompense 
than  the  happiness  which  rewards  acts  of  duty  and  kindness. 

Mrs.  Clemm  was  definitely  promised  not  only  that  she 
should  participate  in  the  profits  of  the  sale  of  Poe's  works, 
but  was  made  to  believe  that  these  would  amount  to  a  sum 
so  large  as  to  make  her  independent  of  charity.  Apparently 
she  thought  that  Willis  was  to  be  associated  with  Griswold 
in  this  editorship.  She  wrote  to  "Annie" : 

They  say  I  am  to  have  the  entire  proceeds  so  you  see,  Annie,  I  will 
not  be  entirely  destitute.  ...  [I]  have  been  very  much  engaged 
with  Mr.  Griswold  in  looking  over  his  [Poe'sJ  papers.  .  .  .  He  must 


86        POE:  A  PSYCHOPATHIC  STUDY 

have  them  all  until  the  work  is  published.  He  thinks  I  will  realize  from 
two  to  three  thousand  dollars  from  the  sale  of  these  books.  .  .  .  How 
nobly  they  [Griswold  and  Willis]  have  acted!  all  done  gratis,  and  you 
know  to  literary  people  that  is  a  great  deal.  .  .  .  Those  gentlemen 
who  have  so  kindly  undertaken  the  publication  of  his  works  say  that 
I  will  have  a  very  comfortable  income  from  them. 

That  her  only  recompense  was  as  sales  agent  is  shown  by 
the  following  letter  she  wrote  to  Washington  Poe,  dated 
1851,  two  years  after  Poe's  death: 

The  publisher  of  my  poor  Eddie's  works  can  only  allow  me  as 
many  copies  of  the  work  as  I  choose  to  dispose  of  amongst  my  friends ; 
but  a  continued  state  of  ill  health,  and  a  delicacy  of  feeling  prevents 
my  availing  myself  of  this  privilege,  except  through  the  kindness  of  a 
few  friends  who  have  disposed  of  a  few  copies  for  me. 

Mrs.  Clemm  lived  an  object  of  charity  and  she  died  in 
a  pauper's  home. 

By  what  means  Griswold  succeeded  in  gaining  posses 
sion  of  all  of  Poe's  papers,  and  for  what  reason  he  wished  to 
edit  them  and  to  be  held  responsible  for  their  preservation 
when  past  differences  were  so  notorious  and  his  expressed 
views  had  been  so  forcibly  presented,  deserves  a  much 
fuller  discussion  than  this  question  has  received. 

Woodberry  barely  refers  to  the  matter,  simply  stating : 
Before  leaving  Fordham  he  [Poe]  wrote  requests  that  Griswold 
should  superintend  the  collection  of  his  works,  and  that  Willis  should 
write  such  a  biographical  notice  as  should  be  deemed  necessary. 

If  Poe  wrote  such  a  note,  Griswold  did  not  receive  it. 
Griswold's  own  statement  is  explicit  and  definite: 

I  was  told  by  several  of  Mr.  Poe's  intimate  friends — among  others 
by  the  family  of  S.  D.  Lewis,  Esq., — that  he  had  long  been  in  the  habit 
of  expressing  a  desire  that  in  the  event  of  his  death  I  should  be  his 
editor.  I  yielded  to  the  apparent  necessity. 

Griswold  never  stated  that  he  had  been  directly  asked 
to  officiate  in  this  capacity,  nor  that  he  received  such 
request  by  letter.  Had  he  been  directly  approached 
he  would  not  apologetically  have  published  a  number  of 
irrelevant  business  letters,  not  always  dated,  which  he 


POE:  A  PSYCHOPATHIC  STUDY        87 

prefixed  to  his  memoir  in  order  to  prove  that  he  was  on 
friendly  terms  with  Poe. 

That  Griswold  believed  he  could  in  this  way  associate 
his  name  with  one  who  would  be  regarded  as  our  greatest 
writer  is  a  possible  but  not  a  probable  explanation,  for  he 
was  myopic  when  long  vision  was  necessary,  and  astig 
matic  when  breadth  of  vision  was  required,  and  his  esti 
mates  of  "au tonal"  merit — if  they  were  honest — were 
characterized  by  a  pronounced  strabismus. 

Yet  there  was  some  compelling  reason.  As  we  can  hardly 
read  our  own  mind,  much  less  that  of  another,  the  answer, 
at  best,  is  a  surmise  and  possibly  would  only  approximate 
the  truth,  even  if  given  by  one  unprejudiced.  I  can  not 
qualify  in  this  class,  for  which  reason  I  doubt  my  own 
interpretation  of  the  facts. 

Whatever  be  the  reason,  the  result,  in  Woodberry's 
opinion,  reflects  much  credit  on  Griswold : 

The  one  distinguishing  tribute  paid  to  Rufus  Wilmot  Griswold, 
one  that  establishes  his  characteristic  excellences,  was  his  selection  by 
Poe  to  be  his  literary  executor  just  before  his  death.  Poe  was  a  good 
judge  of  editorial  capacity,  notwithstanding  a  history  of  personal  rela 
tions  that  would  seem  to  exclude  the  possibility  of  such  a  choice. 

Nowhere  does  Woodberry,  either  directly  or  by  implica 
tion,  express  other  than  admiration  for  Griswold  in  all  that 
relates  to  his  connection  with  Poe.  Others  have  not  dealt 
so  kindly  with  this  relationship.  It  has  been  asserted  that 
Poe,  at  the  time  of  his  death,  had  almost  if  not  quite  com 
pleted  a  book  which  was  to  be  entitled  'The  Authors  of  Am 
erica",  publication  of  which  was  announced  in  the  "Home 
Journal"  as  of  immediate  issuance.  It  has  never  appeared. 
It  is  possible  that  it  contained  criticisms  which  Griswold 
believed  were  not  creditable  to  Poe :  yet  it  is  not  fair  to  Gris 
wold  to  make  so  direct  a  charge  of  double  dealing,  for  no 
one  positively  knows  what  was  contained  in  the  papers  and 
books  which  Mrs.  Clemm  passed  to  Griswold  because  of  his 


88        POE:  A  PSYCHOPATHIC  STUDY 

direct  request.  It  is  also  known  that  Poe  had  collected  ma 
terial  for  a  "Critical  History  of  American  Literature"  ;  at 
least  he  so  wrote  Lowell.  Nothing  issued  therefrom  except  a 
fragment  called  The  Lighthouse.  Had  not  Annabel  Lee  been 
in  other  hands,  and  The  Bells  already  in  type,  one  cannot 
but  fear  for  their  fate  at  the  critical  hands  of  Griswold. 

Why  was  Griswold  willing  to  undertake  this  editorship? 
He  explained  in  the  preface  to  his  "Memoir:" 

I  would  gladly  have  declined  a  trust  imposing  so  much  labor,  for  I 
had  been  compelled  by  ill  health  to  solicit  the  indulgence  of  my  pub 
lishers,  who  had  many  thousand  dollars  in  an  unfinished  work  under 
my  direction;  but  when  I  was  told  by  several  of  his  intimate  friends 
that  he  had  long  been  in  the  habit  of  expressing  a  desire  that  in  the 
event  of  his  death  I  should  be  his  editor,  I  yielded  to  the  apparent 
necessity. 

Who  did  receive  the  money  earned  by  this  publication? 
Woodberry  says : 

He  [Griswold]  finally  persuaded  Mr.  Redfield  to  try  the  experi 
ment  of  issuing  two  volumes  first,  which  were  published  and  had  a  fair 
sale — then  the  third  and  finally  the  fourth  were  added  to  complete  the 
works.  The  sale  reached  about  1500  sets  each  year. 

It  has  been  stated  that  over  20,000  sets  of  this  edition 
were  sold  and  it  is  certain  that  Mrs.  Clemm  received  none 
of  the  promised  royalties. 

Neilson  Poe  transmitted  to  Griswold  all  the  books  and 
MSS.  which  he  found  in  the  trunk  that  Edgar  Poe  had  with 
him  at  the  time  of  his  death,  and,  together  with  those 
things  taken  from  Mrs.  Clemm,  these  must  have  consti 
tuted  Poe's  entire  literary  remains.  At  the  same  time 
Neilson  Poe  wrote  Griswold: 

I  have  opened  his  trunk  and  find  it  to  contain  very  few  manuscripts 
of  value.  The  chief  of  them  is  a  lecture  on  the  poetic  principle  and  some 
paragraphs  prepared,  apparently,  for  some  literary  journal.  There  are, 
however,  a  number  of  books,  his  own  works,  which  are  full  of  correc 
tions  in  his  own  hand.  These  ought,  undoubtedly,  to  be  placed  in  your 
hands. 


POE:  A  PSYCHOPATHIC  STUDY        89 

Woodberry  in  commenting  on  this  letter  describes  cer 
tain  of  these  books : 

These  volumes  were  the  copies  of  the  Tales  and  Poems,  now  known 
as  the  Lorimer-Graham  copies,  the  copy  of  Eureka,  now  known  as 
Hurst's  copy,  and  possibly  others,  all  afterwards  sold  with  Griswold's 
library. 

Nor  were  any  of  Poe's  books  or  MSS.  returned  by  Gris- 
wold  to  Mrs.  Clemm. These  he  had  especially  demanded  as  a 
preparation  for  their  proper  publication,  and  they  included 
not  only  all  of  the  books,  many  of  them  specially  annotated 
by  Poe,  but  all  his  notes  and  private  memoranda.  All  these 
were  either  destroyed  or  retained.  A  few  remained  and 
were  auctioned  off  when  Griswold's  library  was  sold. 

It  is  probable,  as  Gill  states,  that  Griswold  actually 
bought  all  Mrs.  Clemm's  rights  to  these  manuscripts.  Why 
he  preferred  to  keep  or  destroy  them  may  be  variously  in 
terpreted.  Had  he  not  bought,  he  certainly  would  have 
returned  them. 

It  is  possible  that  Griswold,  because  of  his  literary 
acumen,  and  knowing  the  value,  had  no  objection  to  asso 
ciating  his  name  with  the  work  of  Poe.  It  is  more  probable 
that,  having  had  experience  with  Poe's  criticisms,  he  was 
willing  to  "edit"  at  least  one  of  these,  and  felt  it  wise  to 
suppress  or  modify  others.  It  is  certain  that  he  did  rewrite, 
or  at  least  "emend,"  those  referring  to  English  and  Briggs. 
Another  article  was  suppressed.  I  cannot  believe,  with  Gill, 
that  the  assumption  of  this  editorship  was  "prompted  by 
hatred,"  and  that  the  insertion  of  the  memoir  in  order  to 
damn  a  dead  enemy  was  a  deciding  factor ;  possibly,  when 
Griswold  saw  the  opportunity,  he  could  not  resist. 

There  was  a  reason  which  did  deeply  concern  Griswold, 
and  which  might  have  induced  him  to  purchase  the 
manuscripts  and  thus  obtain  permanent  control.  Soon  after 
"Poets  and  Poetry  of  America"  was  published  Griswold  and 
Poe  discussed  it,  and  Poe  gave  the  following  version  of  the 
conversation : 


90        POE:  A  PSYCHOPATHIC  STUDY 

I  said  that  I  had  thought  of  reviewing  it  in  full  .  .  .  and  that  I 
knew  no  other  work  in  which  a  notice  would  be  readily  admissable. 
Griswold  said  in  reply:  'You  need  not  trouble  yourself  about  the  pub 
lication  of  the  review,  should  you  decide  on  writing  it,  for  I  will  attend 
to  all  that.  I  will  get  it  in  some  reputable  work,  and  look  to  it  for  the 
usual  pay  in  the  meantime  handing  you  whatever  the  charge  would 
be.'  This  you  see  was  an  ingenious  insinuation  of  a  bribe  to  puff  his 
book.  I  accepted  his  offer  forthwith,  and  wrote  the  review,  handed  it 
to  him,  and  received  from  him  the  compensation ;  he  never  daring  to 
look  over  the  manuscript  in  my  presence,  and  taking  it  for  granted  it 
was  all  right.  But  that  review  has  not  yet  appeared,  and  I  am  doubtful 
if  it  ever  will.  I  wrote  it  precisely  as  I  would  have  written  under  ordi 
nary  circumstances,  and  be  sure  there  was  no  predominance  of  praise. 

One  cannot  be  certain  that  this  review,  as  written,  was 
ever  published.  Apparently  Poe  did  not  make  an  extended 
criticism  at  that  time,  although  there  is  an  article  repro 
duced  in  Poe's  collected  works  under  the  title,  Mr.  Griswold 
and  the  Poets.  While  not  altogether  flattering,  it  does  con 
tain  pleasant  personal  references,  and  occasionally  there  is 
a  tone  of  decided  approval. 

In  this  preface,  which  is  remarkably  well  written  and  strictly  to 
the  purpose,  the  author  thus  evinces  a  just  comprehension  of  the 
nature  and  objects  of  true  poesy,  'He  who  looks  on  Lake  George,  or 
sees  the  sun  rise  on  the  Mackinaw,  or  listens  to  the  grand  music  of  a 
storm,  is  divested,  certainly  for  a  time,  of  a  portion  of  the  alloy  of  his 
nature  .  .  .  The  creation  of  beauty,  the  manifestation  of  the  real  by  the 
ideal,  'in  words  that  move  in  metrical  array  is  poetry.  The  italics  are 
our  own;  and  we  quote  the  passage  because  it  embodies  the  sole  true 
definition  of  what  has  been  a  thousand  times  erroneously  defined. 

This,  and  other  equally  complimentary  references,  does 
not  correspond  with  Poe's  description  of  his  review  nor 
does  it  express  Poe's  real  opinion  of  the  work. 

By  the  way,  if  you  have  not  seen  Mr.  Griswold's  'American  Series 
of  the  Curiosities  of  Literature'  then  look  at  it,  for  God's  sake — or  for 
mine.  I  wish  you  to  say  upon  your  word  of  honor,  whether  it  is,  or  is 
not,  per  se,  the  greatest  of  all  the  curiosities  of  Literature,  or  whether 
it  is  as  great  a  curiosity  as  the  compiler  himself. 

Again  Poe  wrote : 


POE:  A  PSYCHOPATHIC  STUDY        91 

He  is  a  pretty  fellow  to  set  himself  up  for  an  honest  judge,  or  even 
as  a  capable  one.  I  shall  make  war  to  the  knife  against  the  New  Eng 
land  assumption  of  'All  the  decency  and  all  the  talent'  which  has  been 
so  disgustingly  manifested  by  the  Rev.  Rufus  Griswold's  'Poets  and 
Poetry  of  America.' 

is  another  of  his  expressed  criticisms. 

Poe,  in  his  lecture  on  'The  Poets  and  Poetry  of  Amer 
ica,"  severely  criticized  Griswold's  volume.  However,  the 
crowning  offense  was  his  review  in  the *  'Saturday  Museum, 
of  the  third  edition  of  Griswold's  "Poets." 

Poe  began  this  review  with  a  discussion  of  Griswold's 
capacity  for  such  work.  He  questions  Griswold's  preten 
sion  to  having  established  either  a  literary  or  a  critical 
reputation  that  would  give  him  the  right  to  pass  on  the 
qualifications  and  the  literary  performances  of  his  contem 
poraries  whom  he  proposed  to  discuss.  He  asks : 

Did  the  'Jonathan'  or  the  'Notion'  attain  any  higher  position 
than  before,  during  Mr.  G.'s  connection  with  them;  or  have  the  'Post' 
or  'Graham's'  improved  under  his  supervision?  The  'Standard'  we 
leave  out  of  the  question  as  it  expired  under  his  management.  Cer 
tainly  not  the  former;  and  the  brilliant  career  of  'Graham's  Magazine' 
under  Mr.  Poe's  care,  and  its  subsequent  trashy  literary  character 
since  his  retirement,  is  a  sufficient  response.  .  .  .  As  a  critic  his  judg 
ment  is  worthless,  for  a  critic  should  possess  sufficient  independence 
and  honesty  to  mete  out  justice  to  all  men,  without  fear,  favor  or  par 
tiality.  .  .  .  Are  Dana  and  Hoffman  the  superiors  of  N.  P.  Willis? 
...  Is  Bryant  a  better  poet  than  Longfellow?  Certainly  not,  for  in 
Longfellow's  pages  the  spirit  of  poetry — ideality — walks  abroad, 
while  Bryant's  sole  merit  is  tolerable  versification  and  fine  marches  of 
description.  Longfellow  is  undoubtedly  the  best  poet  in  America. 

After  discussing  versification  and  the  art  of  poetry,  and 
after  specifying  certain  necessary  standards  which  must 
guide  a  poet  in  his  selection  and  treatment  of  a  subject,  il 
lustrating  it  with  various  happy  selections,  Poe  took  up 
and  critically  dissected  Griswold's  poem,  "The  Storm 
Cloud,"  and  bitterly  criticized  its  underlying  idea,  its  ver 
sification  and  its  grammatical  construction,  comparing 


92        POE:  A  PSYCHOPATHIC  STUDY 

it,  to  its  very  great  disadvantage,  with  the  "Charmed 
Sleeper." 

Did  any  one  ever  read  such  nonsense?  We  never  did,  and,  shall  here 
after  eschew  everything  that  bears  the  name  of  Rufus  Wilmot  Gris- 
wold,  as  strongly  as  the  Moslemite  the  forbidden  wine,  or  the  Jew  the 
'unmentionable  flesh.'  .  .  .  We  shall  quote  some  few  passages  from 
one  of  his  latest  reviews,  and  that  on  the  author  of  the  'Charmed 
Sleeper' — Alfred  Tennyson,  whose  genius  and  originality  have  ex 
cited  the  imitative  faculties  of  the  principal  poets  of  America.  'His 
chief  characteristics  pertaining  to  style,  they  will  not  long  attract 
regard.'  Here  we  have  a  gross  grammatical  error — two  nominatives  to 
one  verb,  'characteristics'  and  'they'  to  'will.'  'He  tricks  out  common 
thoughts  in  dresses  so  unique  it  is  not  always  easy  to  identify  them.' 
(Is  this  not  originality?  Yet  in  the  next  portion  of  the  sentence  we  hear 
this  sapient  critic  say)  'but  we  have  not  seen  in  his  works  proofs  of  an 
original  mind.'  (0  tempore!  0  mores!  This  Griswold  says  of  Tennyson/) 
Again,  'as  a  versifier,  Holmes  is  equal  to  Tennyson,  and  with  the  same 
patient  effort  would  in  every  way  surpass  him.  We  desire  none  of  his 
companionship.'  (Don't  you  hope  you  may  get  it?)  'Him  who  stole  at 
first  hand  from  Keats.'  Well,  if  this  is  not  the  height  of  assurance  we  do 
not  know  what  is,  coming  as  it  does  from  one  of  the  most  clumsy  of 
literary  thieves,  and  who  in  his  wildest  aspirations,  never  even 
dreamed  of  an  original  thought.  A  man  who  does  not  understand  the 
first  principles  of  versification,  the  author  of  the  'Sunset  Storm,'  and 
thus  to  speak  of  Tennyson,  the  author  of  the  'Sleeping  Beauty'  we 
have  just  quoted!  We  can  only  say  to  Mr.  Griswold,  'Jove  protect  us 
from  his  reviewing  and  the  public  from  what  he  deems  exquisite.  .  .* 
Let  us  proceed.  Ah!  what  have  we  here?  'The  creation  of  beauty,  the 
manifestation  of  the  real  by  the  ideal,  in  words  that  move  in  metrical 
array,  is  poetry!'  Now  what  is  this  but  a  direct  amplification  of  our 
poet  of  the  definition  of  poetry — 'the  rhythmical  creation  of  beauty  — 
which  appeared  in  Mr.  Poe's  critique  on  Professor  Longfellow's  bal 
lads,  from  which  we  know,  and  he  knows,  he  stole  it. 

Compare  this  with  Mr.  Griswold  and  the  Poets  as  pub 
lished  in  'The  Literati,"  or  with  his  reference  to  a  defini 
tion  of  poetry  previously  quoted. 

Well,  we  have  looked  over  the  book,  and  we  find  it  just  such  a 
result  as  might  be  anticipated.  The  biographies  are  miserably  written, 
and  as  to  the  criticisms  on  style,  they  certainly  are  not  critiques 


POE:  A  PSYCHOPATHIC  STUDY        93 

raisonnes,  and  that  simply  because  reasoning  and  thinking  are  entirely 
out  of  Mr.  G.'s  sphere.  As  to  the  different  degrees  of  merit  allotted  to 
each  author,  we  cannot  help  thinking  it  possible,  but  we  will  not  say 
it,  that  sub  rosa  arrangements  were  made,  and  a  proportionable  quan 
tity  of  fame  allotted,  in  consideration  of  the  quid  pro  quo  received. 
Besides  the  whole  work  is  not  even  a  specimen  of  the  'Poets  and 
Poetry  of  America' ;  and  in  giving  it  our  unqualified  condemnation,  we 
only  cite  the  opinion  of  all,  even  to  the  poets  who  have  been  so  unfor 
tunate  as  to  figure  in  its  pages. 

So  Poe  continues,  excoriating  and  vitriolic  in  his  denun 
ciations.  He  finishes  his  review  with  the  following  remark 
able  passage : 

Had  Mr.  Griswold  the  genius  of  Shakespeare,  the  powers  of  a 
Milton,  or  the  critical  learning  of  a  Macauley,  he  could  not  stem  the 
torrent  of  animadversion  this  book  has  raised;  but  must  be  over 
whelmed  by  the  tide  of  public  disapprobation  which  has  set  in  so 
strongly  upon  him ;  but  as  he  has  neither  the  one  nor  the  other,  what 
will  be  his  fate?  Forgotten,  save  only  by  those  whom  he  has  injured 
and  insulted,  he  will  sink  into  oblivion,  without  leaving  a  landmark  to 
tell  he  once  existed ;  or  if  he  is  spoken  of  hereafter  he  will  be  quoted  as 
the  unfaithful  servant  who  abused  his  trust. 

The  italics  are  Poe's.  Could  words  more  prophetic  have 
been  written? 

After  reading  this  criticism,  which  bears  evidence  of  sin 
cerity — all  criticism  is  necessarily  harsh,  although  it  maybe 
kindly  meant — and  a  full  comprehension  of  Griswold's 
real  capacity  as  a  critic,  it  is  hard  to  believe  that  Poe  did 
request  Griswold  to  become  his  literary  executor.  It  will  be 
remembered  that  Poe  spoke  in  the  same  way  to  others 
during  the  time  of  his  failing  mentality.  As  he  was  leaving 
New  York  on  his  last  journey,  in  bidding  farewell  to  Mrs. 
Lewis  at  whose  house  he  had  spent  the  night,  she  reports 
that  Poe  said : 

You  truly  understand  and  appreciate  me — I  have  a  presentiment 
that  I  shall  never  see  you  again.  I  must  leave  today  for  Richmond.  If 
I  never  return,  write  my  life.  You  can  and  will  do  me  justice. 

Griswold  based  his  claim  to  appointment  on  the  au- 


94        POE:  A  PSYCHOPATHIC  STUDY 

thority  of  "the  family  of  S.  D.  Lewis,  Esq.,"  declaring 
that  he  had  heard  from  them  that  such  was  Poe's  request. 
I  quote  from  Woodberry  whose  account  is  noticeable  be 
cause  of  his  remarkable  industry  in  gathering  up  all  that 
concerns  this  controversy,  and  who  states  most  of  the 
facts  whether  alleged  by  Poe's  detractors  or  defenders, 
although  the  latter  are  found  principally  in  his  "Notes." 
Nor  does  Woodberry  make  any  mention  of  the  criticism  on 
the  third  edition  of  Griswold's  "Poets  of  America",  as  pub 
lished  in  the  "Saturday  Museum,"  and  which  had  caused 
Griswold's  hostility  to  Poe,  in  spite  of  the  former's  attempt 
to  make  Mrs.  Clemm  believe  that  his  "assuming"  the  lit 
erary  executorship  was  an  "act  of  duty  and  kindness." 
Griswold  in  the  preface  to  his  "Memoir"  denies  enmity. 

Both  these  writers — John  Neal  following  the  author  of  the  letter 
signed  'George  R.  Graham' — not  only  assume  what  I  have  shown  to 
be  false  (that  the  remarks  on  Poe's  character  were  written  by  me  as 
his  executor),  but  that  there  was  a  long,  intense,  and  implacable 
enmity  betwixt  Poe  and  myself,  which  disqualified  me  for  the  office  of 
his  biographer.  This  scarcely  needs  an  answer  after  the  poet's  dying 
request  that  I  should  be  his  editor ;  but  the  manner  in  which  it  has  been 
urged,  will,  I  trust,  be  a  sufficient  excuse  for  the  following  demonstra 
tion  of  its  absurdity. 

Griswold  quotes  various  letters,  all  referring  to  Poe's 
literary  work,  which  he  had  proposed  to  include  in  his 
"Poets  and  Poetry  of  America,"  but  the  dates  do  not  show 
that  these  were  written  after  the  "Museum"  article,  and 
Gill  says  that  they  were  "emended." 

Woodberry  says : 

Of  these  letters  two  originals  only  were  among  the  Griswold  Mss. 
and  both  varied  materially  from  the  printed  text ;  but  however  garbled 
the  letters,  the  relation  of  the  two  men  are  plain.  .  .  .  These  business 
communications  contain  expressions  of  regard  for  Griswold's  work 
and  apologetic  expressions  for  censure,  which  may  or  may  not  be 
garbled  or  interpolated. 

Griswold  made  no  attempt  to  conceal  his  real  attitude 


POE:  A  PSYCHOPATHIC  STUDY        95 

both  to  the  memory  of  Poe  and  to  Mrs.  Clemm.  In  a  letter 
written  to  Mrs.  Whitman  soon  after  Poe's  death,  Griswold 
does  not  hesitate  to  express  himself  fully : 

I  wrote,  as  you  suppose,  the  notice  of  Poe  in  The  Tribune',  but 
very  hastily.  /  was  not  his  friend,  nor  was  he  mine  [italics  are  Gris- 
wold's]  as  I  remember  to  have  told  you.  I  undertook  to  edit  his  writ 
ings  to  oblige  Mrs.  Clemm.  ...  I  saw  very  little  of  Poe  in  his  last 
years.  ...  I  cannot  refrain  from  begging  you  to  be  very  careful  what 
you  say  or  write  to  Mrs.  Clemm,  who  is  not  your  friend,  nor  anybody's 
friend,  and  who  has  no  element  of  goodness  or  kindness  in  her  nature, 
but  whose  heart  and  understanding  are  full  of  malice  and  wickedness. 

It  was  "to  oblige  Mrs.  Clemm"  that  Griswold  undertook 
the  editorship,  when,  by  so  doing,  he  had  "to  solicit  the 
indulgence  of  my  publishers,  who  had  many  thousand 
dollars  invested  in  an  unfinished  work  under  my  direc 
tion."  It  is  noticeable  that  Woodberry  does  not  refer  to 
the  personal  hostility  existing  at  that  time;  neither  does  he 
more  than  mention  the  "Museum"  article,  nor  does  he 
publish  the  letter  which  Griswold  wrote  Mrs.  Whitman, 
though  all  other  recent  biographers  have  quoted  it. 

It  must  have  been  some  powerful  reason  that  induced 
Griswold  to  neglect  his  own  work  "involving  thousands 
of  dollars,"  with  whose  safe  keeping  he  was  intrusted, 
and  to  undertake  this  work  of  editing  the  writings  of  an 
avowed  enemy  who  had  so  bitterly  excoriated  him.  It  was 
not  for  gain  and  it  was  not  for  love;  nor  was  it  "an  act  of 
duty  and  kindness."  It  did  result  in  Griswold  "editing" 
some  of  Poe's  criticisms,  even  after  they  had  been  pub 
lished,  in  the  emending  of  others,  and  in  the  suppression  of 
his  lecture  on  the  "Poets  and  Poetry  of  America,"  as  well 
as  in  the  omission  of  the  article  which  had  appeared  in  the 
"Saturday  Museum"  and  from  which  I  have  just  quoted. 
After  reading  that  closing  sentence,  I  cannot  believe  that 
Poe  "had  long  been  in  the  habit  of  expressing  a  desire  in 
the  event  of  his  death  that  I  should  be  his  editor."  To 
avoid  being  pilloried  for  future  generations,  a  less  vain 


96         POE:  A  PSYCHOPATHIC  STUDY 

and  self-seeking  author  would  have  desired  the  control  and 
ownership  of  such  a  publication. 

Griswold's  effort  would  have  met  with  success  had  he 
been  able,  when  so  fair  an  opportunity  presented  itself, 
to  have  refrained  from  besmirching  the  memory  of  one  of 
whom  he  should  have  been  considerate ;  at  least  he  might 
have  been  forgotten,  rather  than  have  been  placed  in  the 
position  of  one  who,  "if  he  is  spoken  of  hereafter,  will  be 
quoted  as  the  unfaithful  servant  who  abused  his  trust." 
Beyond  all  question,  Poe's  criticism  warped  the  judgment 
of  Griswold.  He  was  a  Reverend,  and  possibly  that  kind  of 
a  Christian  who  will  receive  an  insult  without  openly 
resenting  it,  and  will  "turn  the  other  cheek"  when 
assaulted.  A  man  who  thus  accepts  an  insult  is  to  be  feared 
more  than  one  who  bravely  stands  forth,  and  hits  back 
with  all  the  strength  that  is  in  him.  A  gentle  answer  never 
turned  away  honest  wrath  and  righteous  indignation.  I 
am  as  fearful  of  such  association  as  I  was  when,  sleeping  in 
a  cave  of  the  Lava  Beds,  I  found  that  a  rattlesnake  was 
warming  itself  in  my  blankets. 

Christian  though  Griswold  was,  and  meek  and  lowly  as 
he  may  have  appeared,  he  was  not  reputed  to  have  been 
forbearing  or  honest.  Ingram  states  that  he  was  discharged 
from  Graham's  for  "dishonesty",  and  that  Thackeray 
"detected  him  in  deliberate  lying." 

Woodberry  in  his  "Appendix"  quotes  Leland,  an  inti 
mate  friend  and  admirer  of  Griswold,  who  wrote  of  him : 

To  the  end  of  his  life  I  was  always  with  him  a  privileged  character 
and  could  take,  if  I  chose,  the  most  extraordinary  liberties,  though  he 
was  one  of  the  most  irritable  and  vindictive  men  I  ever  met  if  he 
fancied  he  was  in  any  way  too  familiarly  treated. 

Another  probable  reference  to  Griswold  is  found  in  the 
"Six-penny  Magazine,"  quoted  by  Woodberry.  It  referred 
to  an  "excursion  to  Fordham  to  visit  Poe." 


POE:  A  PSYCHOPATHIC  STUDY        97 

Some  sixteen  years  ago,  I  went  on  a  little  excursion  with  two 
others — one  a  reviewer,  since  dead,  and  the  other  a  person  who  wrote 
laudatory  notices  of  books,  and  borrowed  money  or  favours  from  their 
flattered  authors  afterwards.  He  was  called  unscrupulous  by  some, 
but  he  probably  considered  his  method  a  delicate  way  of  conferring 
favour  upon  an  author  or  of  doing  him  justice  without  the  disagree 
able  conditions  of  bargain  and  sale.  It  is  certain  that  he  lived  better 
and  held  his  head  higher  than  many  who  did  more  and  better  work. 

Yet,  in  judging  the  man,  we  must  understand  the  times. 
It  was  not  a  period  characterized  by  literary  honesty,  and 
Poe's  "quid  pro  quo,"  applied  to  Griswold,  could  have  with 
equal  truth  described  the  literary  morals  of  many  others. 
It  is  known  that  Greeley  used  Griswold  for  "unholy"  pur 
poses.  "Get  a  right  notice  in  the  'Ledger'  if  you  can.  But 
pay  for  it  rather  than  not  get  a  good  one."  Another  wrote : 
"If  you  can  get  the  accompanying  notices  published,  one 
in  the  'North  American'  and  the  other  in  the  'Evening  Jour 
nal'  without  betraying  it,  do  so.  I  shall  cheerfully  recip 
rocate  the  favor."  Woodberry  adds: 

Greeley's  characterizations  are  the  shrewdest  in  the  volume 
[referring  to  the  papers  Woodberry  had  been  employed  to  edit]  often 
only  hints,  but  effective,  and  to  Griswold  himself  he  sometimes  uses  a 
tell-tale  frankness :  'Now  write  me  a  few  racy,  spicy — not  personal,  far 
less  malignant'  [evidently  Greeley  knew  his  capacity  and  recognized 
his  ability]  'depicting  society  and  life  in  Philadelphia/  .  .  .  Again, 
The  only  principle  I  ever  found  you  tenacious  of  is  that  of  having 
your  pay  at  least  as  fast  as  you  can  earn  it.'  There  are  several  other 
obiter  dicta  from  different  persons  with  regard  to  Griswold,  who  cer 
tainly  had  unamiable  traits  and  grave  defects. 

After  all,  it  is  possible  that,  in  the  beginning,  Griswold 
was  only  the  good  dog,  the  spaniel  that  fetched  and  carried 
for  Greeley.  It  is  known  that  Greeley  bore  no  love  for  Poe 
and  that,  because  Poe  borrowed  a  small  sum  of  money  and 
had  not  been  able  to  return  it,  Greeley  did  not  hesitate  to 
publicly  brand  him.  Poe  bitterly  protested : 

In  the  printed  matter,  I  have  underscored  two  passages.  As  re 
gards  the  first : — it  alone  would  have  sufficed  to  assure  me  that  you  did 


98        POE:  A  PSYCHOPATHIC  STUDY 

not  write  this  article.  I  owe  you  money — I  have  been  ill,  unfortunate, 
no  doubt  weak,  and  yet  am  not  able  to  refund  the  money — but  on  this 
ground  you,  Mr.  Greeley,  could  never  have  accused  me  of  being  habit 
ually  unscrupulous  in  the  fulfillment  of  my  pecuniary  obligations.  The 
charge  is  horribly  false — I  have  a  hundred  times  left  myself  destitute  of 
bread,  for  myself  and  family,  that  I  might  discharge  my  debts.  .  .  . 
The  second  passage  embodies  a  falsehood — and  therefore  you  did  not 
write  it.  I  did  not  'throw  away  the  quill.'  I  arose  from  a  sick-bed 
(although  scarcely  able  to  stand  or  see)  and  wrote. 

It  was  Greeley  who,  according  to  his  own  report,  ordered 
Griswold  to  write  the  Ludwig  article,  and  while  he  does 
not  specify  the  exact  instructions  he  gave,  it  is  entirely 
possible,  judging  from  his  method  of  personal  supervision 
as  detailed  by  Woodberry,  that  he  fully  indicated  the 
character  of  the  obituary  he  desired  for  publication.  It  is 
certain  that  he  did  not  instruct  Griswold  to  write  one  "not 
personal — far  less  malignant." 

We  learned  by  telegraph  the  fact  of  Poe's  death  at  Baltimore,  in 
the  afternoon  following  its  occurrence  and  soon  after,  meeting  Dr. 
Griswold,  and  knowing  his  acquaintance  with  Poe,  asked  him  to  pre 
pare  some  account  of  the  deceased  for  the  next  morning's  paper.  He 
immediately  and  hastily  wrote  in  our  presence  his  two  columns  or  more. 

This  article,  so  written  (the  italics  are  Greeley 's),  might 
have  been  a  joint  production,  and  over  some  of  its  passages 
they  might  have  chortled  with  glee.  Zoologists  tell  us  that 
hyenas  do  utter  sounds  that  resemble  the  human  laugh. 

Possibly  undue  space  has  been  given  to  the  personal 
relations  existing  between  Poe  and  Griswold,  and  perhaps 
I  have  exhibited  excessive  warmth  and  have  dwelt  on  this 
controversy  unjustifiably. 

One  cannot  thoroughly  investigate  the  facts  as  they 
relate  both  to  the  genesis  of  this  obituary  and  as  to  its 
later  elaboration  into  a  memoir,  knowing  that  many  of 
these  assertions  have  as  a  foundation  statements  that  are 
fabrications,  and  that  others,  if  true,  have  as  a  basis  a 
diseased  brain  and  a  disordered  intellect,  without  some 


POE:  A  PSYCHOPATHIC  STUDY        99 

manifestation  of  disgust;  true  or  false  they  should  not 
have  been  inserted  into  a  memoir  prefacing  Poe's  works 

.  .  .  and  which  we  think  with  Sir  Thomas  Browne  should  never  be 
recorded, — being  Verities  whose  truth  we  fear  and  heartily  wish  there 
was  no  truth  therein  .  .  .  whose  relations  honest  minds  deprecate.' 

I  do  not  believe  that  Poe,  either  at  that  time  or  later,was 
insane  in  the  usually  accepted  sense.  It  is  true  that  by 
heredity  he  was  abnormal.  It  is  certain  that  he  did  not,  in 
the  ordinary  relations  of  life,  always  view  things  as  the 
normal  individual  does ;  but  just  who  is  normal  is  a  matter 
difficult  to  decide.  I  have,  in  my  time,  met  many  men.  I 
have  read  the  biographies  and  autobiographies  of  many 
and  know  of  some  others  by  tradition.  I  have  found  no 
man  who  ever  freeiy  confessed  to  evil  doing,  except  pos 
sibly  poor  Pepys ;  or  who  would  analyze  himself,  his  daily 
acts  or  the  motives  which  underlie  those  acts,  and  tabu 
late  them  as  they  should  be  tabulated  in  the  moral  code. 
Even  to  themselves  they  misstate  and  hide,  extenuate  or 
actually  do  not  realize,  as  was  the  case  with  Rousseau,  the 
abnormalities  which  deform  their  inner  lives. 

rvotfi  a'  avr&v  is  a  Utopian  concept  impossible  of  literal 
realization. 

No  man  can  know  himself,  nor  can  he  fairly  judge  of  his 
own  actions.  Compulsions  seem,  at  times,  to  be  excellent 
reasons :  like  the  convex  mirror  the  mind  can  not  reflect  the 
image  in  its  true  proportions.  Occasionally,  Narcissus-like, 
it  becomes  enamored  of  the  picture  reflected  in  its  depths. 

I  know  of  but  one  man,  and  of  him  only  by  legend,  who 
led  an  unblemished  and  an  absolutely  moral  life,  pure  in 
thought  and  with  no  remembrance  of  any  evil  act,  and 
therefore  without  a  realizing  conscience. 

There  is  one  other  man  whom,  for  some  sixty  years,  I 
have  known  intimately,  and  whom  for  that  reason,  perhaps, 
I  judge  leniently,  who  is  under  the  conviction  that  his 
every  action  is  dominated  by  the  highest  principles  only, 


100       POE:  A  PSYCHOPATHIC  STUDY 

and  that  the  golden  rule  is  his  guide — provided  a  few 
occasional  deviations  are  allowed  proper  explanation. 
Nevertheless,  even  he  finds  that  there  are  unplumbed 
depths  in  the  recesses  of  his  secret  soul  that  remain  un 
charted,  and  that  unexpected  mental  reservations  at  times 
deflect  the  pure  ray  of  justice  and  righteousness  so  that  it 
does  not  always  make  luminous  the  hidden  heart-spring  of 
action ;  and  that  possibly  certain  inherited  prejudices  cling 
to  and  distort  a  judgment  otherwise  absolutely  free,  un- 
warped,  and  untrammeled.  I  also  know  very  many  men, 
some  in  San  Quentin  and  others  who  should  be  there, 
equally  convinced  of  the  honesty  of  their  motives  and  the 
righteousness  of  their  lives ;  only  some  circumstance  over 
which  they  had  no  control,  or  a  carping  world  and  an  over- 
severe  moral  code,  prevented  them  from  being  properly 
understood  and  caused  them  to  be  misjudged.  The  fault 
is  with  the  world  and  not  with  themselves.  Nature  has 
inoculated  us  with  a  moral  serum  which  prevents  us  from 
being  poisoned  by  our  own  virus.  The  world  is  full  of  Holy 
Willies :  if  we  could  see  ourselves  as  other  people  sometimes 
see  us,  it  would  be  an  unlivable  world.  Years  of  study  and 
observation  have  made  me  lenient  in  judging  the  faults 
of  those  I  know.  Heredity  is  as  responsible  for  our  good 
qualities  and  our  successes  as  it  is  for  the  evil  that  is  in 
us,  and  our  failures. 

The  world  is  a  most  uncharitable  judge  in  awarding  pun 
ishments  and  rewards;  it  builds  jails,  poorhouses  and  asy 
lums  for  those  who  fail  because  nature  has  handicapped 
them  in  their  life-race,  while  it  praises  and  honors  those 
who  succeed  because  they  are  bountifully  endowed.  We 
know,  further,  that  great  genius  such  as  Poe  inherited  is 
always  accompanied  and  can  be  seriously  modified  by  a 
neurosis  that  may  end  in  moral  or  mental  degeneration. 

In  recent  years  many  books  have  been  written  on  the 
relation  existing  between  genius  and  insanity,  and  'The 


POE:  A  PSYCHOPATHIC  STUDY      101 

Insanity  of  Genius"  has  become  a  familiar  theme  because 
so  many  "psychologists"  and  pseudo-scientists  have  en 
deavored  to  point  out  a  close  relationship.  In  the  popu 
lar  estimation,  their  claims  seem  to  have  established 
genius  and  insanity  as  mental  states  almost  identical. 

Alienists  resent  this  loose  classification  and,  while  they 
recognize  a  pathological  basis  for  both  insanity  and  genius, 
which  bear  some  relation  to  each  other  because  they  both 
belong  to  the  same  great  family  group,  in  the  practical 
application  of  this  theoretical  association  there  is,  separat 
ing  them,  a  chasm  as  deep  as  our  Grand  Canyon  and  as 
broad  as  the  Painted  Desert.  We  differentiate  them  as  dis 
tinctly  as  we  do  the  cerulean  water  of  Tahoe  or  the  Dolo 
mite  lakes  from  the  muddy  streams  that  mark  the  workings 
of  our  placer  mines.  Neither  is  crystal  clear. 

Insanity  chooses  for  its  victims  not  the  highly  intelli 
gent,  nor  the  genius,  but  rather  the  subnormal  and  "the 
unwashed."  Overstudy  is  the  most  frequently  alleged  yet 
the  most  infrequent  cause  of  insanity.  I  have  examined, 
studied  and *  'psychologized' '  many  thousands  of  insane  per 
sons  and  I  have  access  to  the  records  of  a  hundred  thous 
and,  but  nowhere  have  I  found  even  a  normal  proportion 
between  the  educated  and  the  uneducated.  Personally  I 
know  a  few  men  of  genius  whom  I  denominate  cranks,  but 
I  surely  do  not  regard  them  as  insane.  Only  rarely  do  they 
pass  this  line  of  demarkation  and  develop  such  delusions  as 
constitute  insanity.  I  have  studied  the  life  histories  of  the 
many  great  writers  and  artists  who  have  been  recklessly 
included  in  this  classification.  Only  occasionally  can  the 
charge  of  insanity  be  justly  made :  there  are  found  very 
many  eccentricities,  abnormalities,  compulsions  and  obses 
sions  which,  to  the  psychologist,  are  exceedingly  interesting 
as  exhibiting  mental  greatness,  as  well  as  mental  weakness. 
Often  do  we  find  the  two  combined  so  wonderfully  as  to 
excite  our  comment — even  to  the  extent  of  insisting  that 


102       POE:  A  PSYCHOPATHIC  STUDY 

they  are  unsound — but  this  charge  of  unsoundness  by  no 
means  can  be  considered  tantamount  to  insanity. 

Genius  rarely  runs  amuck. 

The  assertion  has  been  made  that  alienists  regard  all  the 
world  as  insane.  This  is  true  in  the  sense  that  there  is  no  in 
dividual  without  peculiarities.  While  this  does  not  mean 
that  the  whole  world  is  insane,  it  does  mean  that  no  human 
being  lives  who,  when  weighed,  will  not  be  found  wanting 
in  some  normal  quality  or  attribute;  and  who  will  not 
show  a  mental  peculiarity  in  some  special  thing  or  way. 
Emeralds  that  are  without  flaw  are  regarded  by  lapidaries 
with  suspicion,  for  none  are  found  in  nature :  they  can  only 
appear  perfect  when  synthetically  manufactured.  It  must 
be  understood  that  mental  peculiarities  and  moral  idio 
syncrasies,  do  not  constitute  insanity:  only  because  we 
regard  these  deviations  from  the  normal  as  hereditary  and 
often  impossible  to  overcome,  are  they  classed  in  the 
group  of  the  Unsound.  In  other  words  we  are  willing  to 
regard  these  peculiariities  as  abnormalities  with  which 
nature  has  afflicted  us ;  not  as  crimes  for  which  its  possessor 
should  be  held  responsible. 

In  the  case  of  Poe,  not  only  were  the  degenerative 
changes  that  time  brings  added  to  hereditary  peculiar 
ities,  but  alcohol  had  hastened  this  degeneration  until  a 
time  came  when,  even  without  its  use,  abnormal  mental 
states  were  of  frequent  occurrence.  Poe  realized  the  fate 
that  awaited  him,  and  saw  the  "dragon  at  the  bottom  of 
the  well."  Mrs.  Whitman  repeats  a  confession  of  his  which 
gives  us  the  key : 

I  have  absolutely  no  pleasure  in  the  stimulants  in  which  I  some 
times  so  madly  indulge.  It  has  not  been  in  the  pursuit  of  pleasure  that 
I  have  periled  life  and  reputation  and  reason.  It  has  been  a  desperate 
attempt  to  escape  from  torturing  memories. 

If  there  were  "memories,"  they  were  of  pre-natal  inheri 
tance.  Poe  was  not  an  alienist  who  could  make  a  differen- 


POE:  A  PSYCHOPATHIC  STUDY      103 

tial  diagnosis  between  melancholy  and  melancholia.  He 
suffered,  he  knew  not  why.  That  he  could  not  overcome 
his  morbid  inheritance  is  not  a  matter  for  blame.  He  made 
repeated  and  heroic  struggles  against  the  evil  that  ob 
sessed  him.  He  manfully  resisted  the  alcoholic  craving  and 
it  left  him  for  long  periods  of  time,  as  is  the  law  of  this 
disease ;  when  it  did  overwhelm  him,  there  was  no  denying 
the  demand  it  made. 

It  must  be  remembered  that  in  the  life  history  of  those 
who  suffer  from  dipsomania,  in  addition  to  the  craving  for 
alcohol  there  are  periods  both  of  elation  and  depression. 
Often  visionary  schemes  are  undertaken  without  cor 
responding  capacity  or  understanding  of  their  real  difficul 
ties  or  impracticabilities.  This  is  probably  the  explanation 
of  Poe's  determination  to  found  a  journal  for  the  utterance 
of  his  individual  opinions.  He  had  failed  in  every  journal 
istic  attempt  that  required  concentrated  and  long-con 
tinued  effort.  He  had  found  by  many  bitter  experiences 
that  he  could  not  continue  for  any  long  period  of  time  with 
out  an  intercurrent  attack  of  his  hereditary  malady  which 
would  incapacitate  him  for  weeks  or  months;  yet,  to  the 
very  last,  this  idea  of  founding  a  magazine  "for  freer  ex 
pression" — and  on  what  magazine  did  he  work  that  he  did 
not  express  his  individual  opinions? — haunted  him.  After 
editing  the  leading  journals  of  Philadelphia  and  New  York, 
it  was  tempting  the  risibilities  to  attempt  the  establish 
ment  of  a  "Literary  Arbiter"  at  Oquakwa,  in  the  then  un 
settled  state  of  Illinois. 

Other,  and  the  best,  evidences  of  the  abnormal  mental 
condition  that  was  developing,  were  the  facts  that  led  to 
the  composition  and  publication  of  his  last  work,  "Eureka, 
A  Prose  Poem."  Let  us  study  the  matter  of  this  work  as 
well  as  the  manner.  He  prefaces  it : 

To  the  few  who  love  me  and  whom  I  love — to  those  who  feel 
rather  than  to  those  who  think — to  the  dreamers  and  those  who  put 


104      POE.  A  PSYCHOPATHIC  STUDY 

faith  in  dreams  as  in  the  only  realities — I  offer  this  Book  of  Truths, 
not  in  its  character  of  Truth-Teller,  but  for  the  Beauty  that  abounds 
in  its  Truth ;  constituting  it  true.  To  these  I  present  the  composition  as 
an  Art-Product  alone : — let  us  say  as  a  Romance;  or,  if  I  be  not  urging 
too  lofty  a  claim,  as  a  Poem.  What  I  here  propound  is  true: — therefore 
it  cannot  die: — or  if  by  any  means  it  be  now  trodden  down  so  that  it 
die,  it  will  Vise  again  to  the  Life  Everlasting.'  Nevertheless  it  is  as  a 
Poem  only  I  wish  this  work  to  be  judged  after  I  am  dead. 

E.  A.  P. 
It  is  related  of  him: 

During  the  last  years  of  his  unhappy  life,  whenever  he  yielded  to 
the  temptation  that  was  drawing  him  to  the  fathomless  abyss,  as  with 
the  resistless  swirl  of  the  maelstrom,  he  always  lost  himself  in  sublime 
rhapsodies  of  the  evolution  of  the  universe,  speaking  as  if  from  some 
imaginary  platform  to  a  vast  audience  of  rapt  and  attentive  listeners. 

Harrison  considers  it : 

an  astounding  circumstance  that  a  mind  so  apparently  wrecked  as 
Poe's  was  all  through  the  weary  months  of  1847 — months  hyphened 
together  by  unalterable  gloom  from  the  death  of  Virginia,  in  January, 
to  the  apparition  on  the  December  horizon  of  the  fantastic  flame  of 
Ulalume — could  have  recovered  vitality  or  even  vivacity  enough  to 
meditate  on  the  deep  themes  of  Eureka,  of  the  cosmogony  of  the  Uni 
verse,  of  the  destiny  of  the  human  soul  and  the  fate  of  the  circum 
ambient  matter;  but  so  it  was. 

Poe's  argumentative  faculty  attained  perhaps  its  highest  expres 
sion  in  Eureka;  the  theme,  in  itself  so  abstract,  so  transcendental, 
burns  and  glows  with  a  concrete  radiance  that  seems  to  convince  the 
reader  that  it  is  the  true  light,  and  not  quagmire  phosphorescence; 
the  suppleness  of  the  Poet's  tongue  never  abandons  him  as  he  climbs 
the  empyrean  in  his  Excelsior  flights  and  forces  one  stronghold  after 
another  of  retreating  Deity,  talking  volubly  of  Newton,  Kepler,  and 
La  Place  the  while,  until  at  last  Eureka!  bursts  from  his  lips  and  he 
fancies  he  has  found  the  Eternal. 

Having  worked  the  book  out  through  the  long  and  hollow  hours  of 
1847 — he  was  ready  with  it  as  a  lecture  in  the  early  months  of  1848. 
His  hope  was  to  rent  a  hall  and  secure  an  audience  of  three  or  four 
hundred  persons  who  would  pay  him  sufficiently  to  start  on  a  lecturing 
tour  in  the  interests  of  the  'Stylus' — which  now  again  sweeps  up  to  the 
surface  like  the  drowned  face  of  Delacroix's  maiden.  Instead  of  three 
or  four  hundred,  sixty  persons  assembled  in  the  hall  of  the  Society  Li- 


POE:  A  PSYCHOPATHIC  STUDY      105 

brary,  New  York,  and  shivered  through  three  hours  of  a  bleak  Febru 
ary  night,  listening,  as  one  of  them  reported,  'to  a  rhapsody  of  the 
most  intense  brilliancy.'  Poe  appeared  inspired,  and  his  inspiration 
affected  the  scant  audience  almost  painfully.  His  eyes  seemed  to  glow 
like  those  of  his  own  Raven.  .  .  .  Not  disheartened  at  his  poor  success 
nor  at  the  absurdly  caricatured  accounts  of  the  lecture  in  the  public 
prints,  Poe  went  bravely  to  work  and  wrote  out  the  theory  in  book 
form,  offering  it,  with  flashing  eyes  and  exuberant  enthusiasm  to  Mr. 
Putnam.  ...  He  suggested  an  edition  of  50,000;  Mr.  Putnam  lis 
tened  attentively,  and  ventured  on  an  edition  of  500. 

The  mere  fact  that  Poe  left  the  field  of  literature  to  un 
dertake  scientific  researches,  or  that  he  believed  he  had 
established  a  new  theory  of  the  universe  does  not,  of  itself, 
evidence  an  unsound  mind;  nor  do  extravagant  and  ill 
understood  deductions  necessarily  indicate  a  developing 
mental  disease.  It  is  a  matter  often  experienced  that, 
among  normal  men,  dissatisfaction  arises  with  their  occu  - 
pation  or  profession,  even  when  success  has  attended  their 
efforts,  and  that  many  literary  and  scientific  men  reach  forth 
into  new  and  strange  domains.  Goethe  was  not  satisfied 
with  his  great  poetical  reputation  but  insisted  on  being 
regarded  as  a  man  of  science:  he  wrote  a  book — "Farben- 
lehre" — in  his  effort  to  disprove  Newton's  'Theory  of  Col 
ors/'  This  book  demonstrated  that  he  was  not  familiar 
with  the  elementary  principles  of  light,  and  because  of  this 
theory  he  was  derided  for  his  scientific  pretensions,  although 
his  researches  in  comparative  anatomy,  in  conjunction  with 
Oken,  had  demonstrated  that  the  cranium  was  composed 
of  consolidated  vertebrae,  and  thus  scientifically  estab 
lished  brain  evolution  from  original  spinal  centers. 

Cruikshank,  in  his  old  age,  was  vociferous  in  asserting 
his  right  to  be  considered  the  author  of  "Oliver  Twist," 
because  he  had  suggested  to  Dickens  certain  illustrations 
for  that  work :  his  great  reputation  as  a  caricaturist  did  not 
satisfy  him.  Even  Tennyson  made  a  failure  of  "Queen 
Mary,"  and  other  attempts  at  dramatic  composition,  a 


106      POE:  A  PSYCHOPATHIC  STUDY 

thing  in  which,  it  is  said,  he  believed  that  he  excelled; 
while  Longfellow  committed  the  unpardonable  sin  of  writ 
ing  "Kavanagh." 

George  Eliot's,  Emerson's  and  Lowell's  essays  in  the 
field  of  poetry  are  sad  commentaries  on  their  capacity  to 
judge  of  their  limitations.  None  of  these  should  be  harshly 
criticized  because  they  failed  to  estimate  properly  their 
own  powers. 

Nor  can  all  enthusiasts  be  classed  among  the  abnormal, 
even  if  they  go  to  the  extent  of  unduly  dwelling  on  some 
abstruse  problem,  or  attempt  to  solve  some  riddle  that  is 
regarded  as  unsolvable.  Men  perfectly  sane  have  at 
tempted  to  square  a  circle,  and  many  perpetual  motion 
machines  are  now  attic  ornaments.  Men,  such  as  were  those 
who  sought  the  secret  that  would  give  them  everlasting  life, 
are  now  devoting  their  superabundant  energy  to  newer 
fads,  and  are  devotees  of  some  recent  cult.  There  are  too 
many  Christian  Scientists,  and  Oliver  Lodgists,  and  others 
of  the  Religionists,  for  us  to  be  able  to  draw  a  distinct 
line  between  those  merely  credulous  and  the  mentally 
unsound;  and  there  are  too  many  pretenders  in  medical, 
astronomical  and  the  physical  sciences  for  us  to  say  who 
is  the  Great  Discoverer  and  who  is  the  self-deceived. 
Knowledge  is,  at  best,  a  chimera :  and  all  who  seek  must 
base  their  findings  on  a  theory  that  future  investigators 
are  sure  to  question.  Some  Einstein  may  yet  upset  our 
most  definitely  established  natural  laws. 

That  we  may  only  approximate  knowledge  of  the  Su 
preme  Cause  need  not  make  us  reject  all  guesses ;  nor,  with 
Bacon,  put  the  jeering  question  in  the  mouth  of  the  smiling 
Pilate.  Philosophers  have  long  sought  the  key-stone  of 
some  definite  Truth  by  which  to  support  their  contentions ; 
but,  so  far,  not  one  has  been  found.  The  most  plausible 
theories  have  a  weakest  link. 

While  such  speculations  as  engaged  the  attention  of  Poe 


POE:  A  PSYCHOPATHIC  STUDY      107 

need  not  arouse  suspicion  as  to  the  soundness  of  his 
mind,  they  were  the  forerunner  of  other  and  more  serious 
vagaries.  Had  he,  even  in  these  last  few  years  when  he 
seemed  most  normal,  been  aroused  by  an  inquiry  as  to  cos 
mogony,  again  would  his  eyes  have  flashed,  his  congested 
brain  would  have  become  turgid  with  blood,  and  there 
might  have  come  a  morbid  mental  reaction  as  pronounced 
as  the  "single  glass"  could  have  produced.  Poe's  power  of 
definitely  expressing  his  thoughts  might  have  been  swept 
away  by  the  vehemence  of  his  utterance ;  appearing  con 
fused  only  because  the  ideas  gushed  forth  so  teemingly. 
For  this  reason,  the  apparent  incoherence  would  have 
been  only  an  evidence  of  over-active  brain  functioning. 
Woodberry,  in  his  "Notes,"  gives  several  examples  of  this 
condition  occurring  in  the  last  few  months  of  Poe's  life, 
when  he  recited  for  bar-room  roysterers  his  own  and  other 
notable  poems.  It  was  not  a  hectoring  drunkard  engaged 
in  saloon  brawls,  haranguing  a  throng  of  grinning  auditors : 
it  was  an  organically  brain-diseased  patient,  whose  friends 
did  not  realize  the  necessity  of  permanently  secluding  him. 
Most  emphatically  it  was  not  a  moral  lapse,  nor  the  result 
of  vicious  living :  nor  should  his  life  be  cited  as  "full  of  in 
struction  and  warning,"  nor  should  he  pay  "the  penalty  of 
wrong  doing  that  its  anatomy  should  be  displayed  for  the 
common  study  and  advantage." 

Poe  was  not  a  man  of  scientific  training,  nor  was  he  a 
classical  scholar,  in  spite  of  the  display  of  both  scientific 
and  classical  knowledge  in  much  that  he  wrote. 

When  he  fathered  Brown's  "Conchology"  it  was  not  for 
scientific  reasons,  but  in  the  preparation  of  "Eureka"  he 
was  in  deadly  earnest ;  and  while  neither  the  matter  nor  the 
effort  arouses  suspicion,  yet  the  manner  and  the  circum 
stances  under  which  it  was  produced  are  the  best  evidence 
that  it  was  the  result  of  his  failing  intellect.  It  was  at  this 
time  Harrison  describes  his  condition  such : 


108      POE:  A  PSYCHOPATHIC  STUDY 

He  found  it  impossible  to  sleep  without  the  presence  of  some 
friend  by  his  bedside.  Mrs.  Clemm,  his  ever  devoted  friend  and  com 
forter,  more  frequently  fulfilled  the  office  of  watcher.  The  poet,  after 
retiring,  would  summon  her,  and  while  she  stroked  his  broad  brow,  he 
would  indulge  his  wild  flights  of  fancy  to  the  Aidenn  of  his  dreams.  He 
never  spoke  nor  moved  in  these  moments,  unless  the  hand  was  with 
drawn  from  his  forehead;  then  he  would  say,  with  childish  naivete, 
'No,  no,  not  yet!' — while  he  lay  with  half-closed  eyes. 

Woodberry  reports  a  statement  of  Mrs.  Clemm : 

He  never  liked  to  be  alone,  and  I  used  to  sit  up  with  him,  often  till 
four  o'clock  in  the  morning,  he  at  his  desk,  writing,  and  I  dozing  in  my 
chair.  When  he  was  composing  Eureka,  we  used  to  walk  up  and  down 
the  garden,  his  arm  around  me,  mine  around  him,  until  I  was  so  tired  I 
could  not  walk.  He  would  stop  every  few  minutes  and  explain  his  ideas 
to  me,  and  ask  if  I  understood  him. 

In  the  preparation  of  "Eureka,"  and  in  the  earnestness 
with  which  Poe  advanced  the  most  abstruse  and  incompre 
hensible  theories,  as  if  they  were  axioms  and  in  themselves 
bore  irrefutable  evidence  of  truth ;  in  his  belief  that  his  repu 
tation  would  be  founded,  not  on  his  tales,  nor  on  his  poetry 
which,  to  the  last,  he  affected  to  regard  as  trifles,  but  on  the 
demonstrated  facts  contained  in  this  epoch  making  book, 
lie  the  proofs  of  his  morbid  state.  Apparently  he  believed 
that  this  discovery  would  be  the  foundation  on  which  the 
world  would  erect  his  cenotaph,  and  that  the  subject  "was 
of  momentous  interest,"  and  that  the  truths  which  he 
disclosed  "were  of  more  consequence  than  the  theory  of 
gravitation."  Later  he  wrote  a  letter  in  answer  to  a  criti 
cism  of  Eureka,  in  which  he  stated : 

The  ground  covered  by  La  Place  compares  with  that  covered  by 
my  own  theory,  as  a  bubble  with  the  ocean  on  which  it  floats. 

Poe  believed  that  he  had  solved  the  riddle  of  the  uni 
verse.  He  criticized  Kepler,  La  Place  and  Newton ;  at  the 
same  time  his  statements  showed  that  he  possessed  only 
a  smattering  of  their  theories. 

Woodberry  concludes  his  full  review : 


POE:  A  PSYCHOPATHIC  STUDY      109 

Eureka  affords  one  of  the  most  striking  instances  in  literature  of  a 
naturally  strong  intellect  tempted  by  overweening  pride,  to  an  Icarian 
flight,  and  betrayed  into  an  ignoble  exposure  of  its  own  presumption 
and  ignorance. 

He  further  states : 

Nor,  were  Eureka  to  be  judged  as  a  poem,  that  is  to  say  as  a  fic 
titious  cosmogony,  would  the  decision  be  more  favorable ;  even  then  so 
far  as  it  is  obscure  to  the  reader  it  must  be  pronounced  defective ;  so 
far  as  it  is  understood,  involving  as  it  does  in  its  primary  conceptions 
incessant  contradictions  of  the  necessary  laws  of  thought,  it  must  be 
pronounced  meaningless.  Poe  believed  himself  to  be  that  extinct  being, 
a  universal  genius  of  the  highest  order;  and  he  wrote  this  essay  to 
prove  his  powers  in  philosophy  and  in  science.  To  the  correspondent 
to  whom  he  sent  the  addenda  he  declared  'As  to  the  lecture,  I  am  very 
quiet  about  it — but  if  you  have  dealt  with  such  topics,  you  will  recog 
nize  the  novelty  and  moment  of  my  views.  What  I  have  propounded 
will  (in  good  time)  revolutionize  the  world  of  Physical  and  Metaphysi 
cal  science.  I  say  this  calmly,  but  I  say  it.' 

None  of  his  biographers  saw  in  this  book  a  pitiful  exhi 
bition  of  a  decaying  intellect  no  longer  under  the  domina 
tion  of  a  strong  and  directing  intelligence. 

And  travelers  now  within  that  valley, 
Through  the  red-littened  windows,  see 
Vast  forms  that  move  fantastically 
To  a  discordant  melody. 

And  we  find  him  a  paranoid  vociferously  voicing  unintel 
ligible  hypotheses  based  on  misconception  and  ignorance 
of  natural  laws. 

Poe's  abnormality  consisted  not  in  theorizing  and  at 
tempting  to  explain  things  unexplainable,  for  this  is  a 
matter  of  daily  occurrence  even  among  the  normal,  but  in 
his  inability  to  understand  the  basic  absurdities  and  false 
reasoning  on  which  his  beliefs  were  founded.  An  insane 
man  may  be  the  most  logical  of  all  logicians,  provided  you 
grant  his  premises.  The  untenableness  of  these,  out  of 
which  he  cannot  be  reasoned,  constitutes  his  insanity. 

It  was  during  this  time  that  Poe  described  himself: 


110      POE:  A  PSYCHOPATHIC  STUDY 

I  became  insane,  with  long  periods  of  horrible  sanity.  During  these 
fits  of  absolute  unconsciousness  I  drank.  God  only  knows  how  much  or 
how  long.  As  a  matter  of  course  my  enemies  referred  the  insanity  to 
the  drink  rather  than  the  drink  to  the  insanity. 

Poe  produced  nothing  after  the  year  1845,  when  he  was 
thirty-four  years  of  age,  which  materially  added  to  his  lit 
erary  reputation;  yet  one  contributor  to  his  Baltimore 
Memorial,  naively  lamenting  his  death,  said: 

But  the  tragedy  of  Poe's  death  is  too  deep  for  words  of  mine.  He 
was  only  thirty-nine  years  old.  His  best  work  ought  to  have  been  be 
fore  him.  Who  can  compute  the  loss  to  our  literature  by  his  untimely 
death? 

We  know  that,  as  the  cells  that  line  the  leaves,  and  that 
boil  down  and  prepare  for  absorption  the  raw  juices  ex 
tracted  from  the  ground  by  the  roots,  slowly  fill  with  cal 
careous  incrustations,  so  do  the  arteries  of  the  human 
brain  harden,  and  the  cells  cease  actively  to  function,  or 
are  absorbed.  We  call  this  process  arterio-sclerosis  and 
its  result  is  old  age  which,  in  some,  is  delayed;  to  others  it 
comes  comparatively  early  in  life.  For  this  reason  it  is  dif 
ficult  to  judge  a  man's  age  by  the  number  of  years  he  has 
lived.  From  this  comes  the  axiomatic  deduction,  "a  man 
is  only  as  old  as  his  arteries."  This  so-called  "hardening  of 
the  arteries"  begins,  in  all  of  us,  soon  after  reaching  middle 
life:  it  becomes  a  disease  only  when  unduly  hastened. 

Another  manifestation  of  Poe's  abnormal  mental  state 
during  the  last  few  years  of  his  life  was  the  platonic  love  he 
exhibited  for  the  women  with  whom  he  associated.  Though 
it  is  certain  that  Poe  did  love  his  wife,  it  was  not  after  the 
manner  of  the  cave  man.  She  was  an  invalid,  slowly  dy 
ing  of  consumption  and,  for  many  years,  Poe  attended  her, 
nursed  her,  and  was  not  only  a  devoted,  but  a  faithful  hus 
band.  Mrs.  Weiss  has  strongly  dwelt  on  the  nature  of  the  re 
lation  that  existed  between  Poe  and  his  wife.  She  insists  that 
the  marriage  was  one  of  convenience,  not  love,  and  that  it 


POE:  A  PSYCHOPATHIC  STUDY      111 

was  to  Mrs.  Clemm  rather  than  to  the  daughter  that  Poe 
turned  for  intellectual  sympathy.  Apparently  neither 
could  greatly  have  aided  him  by  literary  companionship. 
Mrs.  Phelps,  in  an  article  quoted  by  Woodberry,  amplifies 
Mrs.  Weiss'  suggestion: 

Mrs.  Clemm,  his  aunt,  was  my  mother's  dear  friend.  I  know  some 
thing  about  that  [this  marriage],  having  heard  my  mother  and  Mrs. 
Clemm  discuss  it.  He  did  not  love  his  cousin,  except  as  a  dear  cousin, 
when  he  married  her,  but  she  was  very  fondly  attached  to  him  and  was 
frail  and  consumptive.  While  she  lived  he  devoted  himself  to  her  with 
all  the  ardor  of  a  lover. 

In  all  the  years  of  their  married  life  and  until  a  short 
time  preceding  her  death,  no  breath  of  scandal  ever 
touched  Poe's  name,  in  spite  of  the  uncanny  attraction  it 
is  known  that  he  exercised  over  women,  and  which  later 
resulted  in  so  many  complications.  Had  there  been,  even 
secretly,  a  history  of  this  kind  there  could  have  been  no 
such  devotion  and  tender  solicitude  for  him  as  was  shown 
by  his  wife's  mother ;  a  bond  that  death  itself  could  not 
sever. 

Yet,  even  before  his  wife  died,  at  least  platonic  love  in 
which  few  men  believe  and  which  nevertheless  may  salve 
the  conscience  of  trusting  woman,  asserted  itself. 

Early  in  1845  he  had  formed  such  an  attachment  with  Mrs. 
Frances  Sargent  Osgood,  a  poetess  of  thirty  and  the  wife  of  an  Ameri 
can  artist.  .  .  .  Poe  had  noticed  her  verses  with  great  favor,  and  in 
his  New  York  lecture,  in  February,  especially  eulogized  her  in  warm 
terms.  Shortly  after  this  latter  incident  Willis  one  day  handed  her  The 
Raven,  with  the  author's  request  for  her  judgment  on  it,  and  for  an 
introduction  to  herself. 

Mrs.  Osgood's  own  impression  of  Poe  is  given  as  follows : 

I  shall  never  forget  the  morning  I  was  summoned  to  the  drawing 
room  to  receive  him.  With  his  proud  and  beautiful  head  erect,  his  dark 
eyes  flashing  with  the  electric  light  of  feeling  and  of  thought,  a  peculiar, 
an  inimitable  blending  of  sweetness  and  hauteur  in  his  manner  and  ex 
pression,  he  greeted  me,  calmly,  gravely,  almost  coldly,  yet  with  so 
marked  an  earnestness  that  I  could  not  help  being  impressed  by  it. 


112       POE:  A  PSYCHOPATHIC  STUDY 

Again  she  says : 

I  never  thought  of  him  till  he  sent  me  his  Raven,  and  asked  Willis 
to  introduce  him  to  me,  and  immediately  after  I  went  to  Albany,  and 
afterwards  to  Boston  and  Providence  to  avoid  him,  and  he  followed 
me  to  each  of  those  places  and  wrote  to  me,  imploring  me  to  love  him, 
many  a  letter  which  I  did  not  reply  to  till  his  wife  added  her  entreaties 
to  his  and  said  that  I  might  save  him  from  infamy,  and  her  from  death, 
by  showing  an  affectionate  interest  in  him. 

These  and  other  statements  were  made  by  Mrs.  Osgood 
in  an  account  of  Poe  written  after  his  death.  She  sums 
up  her  review  as  follows: 

But  it  was  in  his  conversations  and  his  letters,  far  more  than  in 
his  published  poetry  and  prose  writings,  that  the  genius  of  Poe  was 
most  gloriously  revealed.  His  letters  were  divinely  beautiful,  and 
for  hours  I  have  listened  to  him,  entranced  by  strains  of  such  pure 
and  almost  celestial  eloquence  as  I  have  never  read  or  heard  else 
where.  Alas!  in  the  thrilling  words  of  Stoddard, 

He  might  have  soared  in  the  morning  light, 

But  he  built  his  nest  with  the  birds  of  night! 

But  he  lies  in  dust,  and  the  stone  is  rolled 

Over  the  sepulchre  dim  and  cold ; 

He  has  cancelled  all  he  has  done  or  said, 

And  gone  to  the  dear  and  holy  dead. 

Let  us  forget  the  path  he  trod, 

And  leave  him  now,  to  his  Maker,  God. 

It  was  this  most  cherished  friendship  that  induced  a 
delegation  of  women,  headed  by  Margaret  Fuller,  to  make 
a  formal  protest.  A  letter  was  found  by  a  woman  who 
was  visiting  the  Poe  household  and,  in  a  jealous  rage, 
she  circulated  stories  that  seriously  reflected  on  Mrs.  Os 
good.  Apparently  she  also  had  written  Poe  compromis 
ing  letters  and,  when  he  knew  of  her  activities,  he  threat 
ened,  in  revenge,  to  make  these  letters  public.  It  was  on 
this  woman's  assertions  that  English  and  Griswold  based 
their  charge  of  blackmail,  for  which  Poe  brought  and 
won  a  suit  for  defamation  of  character.  Undoubtedly 
Poe's  abnormal  condition,  even  at  that  time,  was  known 


POE:  A  PSYCHOPATHIC  STUDY      113 

and  understood  by  his  immediate  family — otherwise  it  is 
not  possible  for  such  association  to  have  been  carried  on 
with  the  knowledge  and  consent  of  his  wife  and,  neces 
sarily,  of  Mrs.  Clemm. 

Soon  after  Mrs.  Poe's  death,  and  while  Poe  was  conva 
lescing  from  a  long  and  serious  illness  which  had  mentally 
incapacitated  him,  there  was  another  platonic  adventure. 
This  time  it  was  with  Mrs.  Shew,  a  family  friend  older 
than  himself,  who  was  nursing  him  and  had  been  most 
considerate  in  looking  after  the  financial  needs  of  the  fam 
ily.  His  irresponsible  condition  was  realized  and,  there 
fore,  no  particular  attention  was  paid  to  the  matter 
further  than  that  it  necessitated  a  severance  of  personal 
intercourse. 

Mrs.  Shew  finding  that  her  protege  was  too  irresponsible  and  ro 
mantic  to  be  allowed  freedom  as  he  had  been  accustomed  to,  broke  off 
the  acquaintance.  The  consequence  which,  although  he  had  foreseen 
it,  must  in  his  state  of  health  have  been  the  sudden  and  complete  cessa 
tion  of  intercourse  between  the  two  families. 

It  is  certain  that  both  Mrs.  Clemm  and  Mrs.  Shew  re 
garded  this  merely  as  a  manifestation  of  Poe's  mental 
state;  the  mother-love  was  not  abated  and  Mrs.  Shew  con 
tinued  her  friendly  ministrations — from  a  distance. 

Poe  wrote  her  a  long  and  rambling  letter,  maudlin  and 
incoherent,  and  not  such  as  a  normal  Poe  would  have 
written : 

Are  you  to  vanish  like  all  that  I  love,  or  desire,  from  my  darkened 
and  'lost  soul'  ?  I  have  read  over  your  letter  again  and  again,  and  can 
not  make  it  possible  with  any  degree  of  certainty,  that  you  wrote  it  in 
your  right  mind.  .  .  . 

Your  ingenuous  and  sympathetic  nature  will  be  constantly 
wounded  by  its  contact  with  the  hollow,  heartless  world ;  and  for  me, 
alas!  unless  some  true  and  tender,  and  pure  womanly  love  saves  me,  I 
shall  hardly  last  a  year  longer  alive.  .  .  .  Why  turn  your  soul  from  its 
true  work  for  the  desolate  to  the  thankless  and  miserly  world?  ...  I 
felt  my  heart  stop,  and  I  was  sure  I  was  then  to  die  before  your  eyes. 


114       POE:  A  PSYCHOPATHIC  STUDY 

Louise,  it  is  well — it  is  fortunate — you  looked  up  with  a  tear  in  your 
dear  eyes,  and  raised  the  window,  and  talked  of  the  guava  jelly  you 
had  brought  for  my  sore  throat. 

Almost  as  absurd  was  the  passion  Poe  developed  for 
Mrs.  Whitman,  the  poetess,  a  widow  some  six  years  older 
than  himself.  This  passion  was  taken  far  more  seriously, 
for  she  responded  to  the  call.  Griswold  related,  with  great 
detail,  many  things  that  bore  on  this  courtship;  but,  as 
usual,  the  facts  were  distorted  and  his  conclusions  were 
absolutely  denied  by  Mrs.  Whitman.  It  is  impossible  to 
doubt  the  truth  either  of  Mrs.  Whitman's  statements  or 
her  knowledge  of  the  facts  which  Griswold  alleged  occurred 
in  her  own  home;  and,  inasmuch  as  they  were  true,  noth 
ing  could  more  seriously  reflect  on  Griswold's  honor  or  the 
veracity  of  his  memoir. 

That  Poe  was  at  times  abnormal  Mrs.  Whitman  does 
not  deny,  and  it  was  her  realization  of  this  fact  that  pre 
vented  the  marriage.  His  actions  were  simply  the  result  of 
an  unbalanced  mind,  craving  love  and  sympathy,  yet 
unable  to  control  and  govern  itself;  drifting  into  danger 
ous  waters  without  pilot  or  rudder. 

Poe  again  fell  in  love  and  proposed  marriage,  this  time 
to  a  boyhood  friend ;  but  her  picture,  as  reproduced  by 
Woodberry,  renders  further  proof  unnecessary  that,  when 
Poe  proposed  marriage,  he  was  irresponsible.  With  still 
another  he  was  more  sinned  against  than  sinning. 

All  commentators  on  the  writings  of  Poe  have  called 
special  attention  to  the  small  part  love  plays  in  any  of  his 
stories,  and  to  the  fact  that  nowhere,  and  on  no  occasion 
does  he  mention  woman  without  due  reverence:  as  if  she 
belonged  to  a  separate  and  special  class — which  she  does— 
entirely  separate  from  the  Genus  Homo,  with  his  vigorous 
strength,  his  dominating  personality,  and  his  rude  and 
overpowering  passions.  May  it  be  long  before  the  two 
sexes  do  reach  the  plane  of  equality  on  such  a  basis! 


POE:  A  PSYCHOPATHIC  STUDY      115 

Apparently  there  was  only  one  woman  outside  his  wife 
to  whom  Poe  was  attracted  or  on  whom  he  leaned.  It  was 
of  her  he  thought  in  the  dark  days  when  his  desolate  and 
hungry  heart  demanded  "surcease  from  sorrow."  This  was 
neither  Mrs.  Shew,  nor  was  it  Mrs.  Osgood;  it  was  not 
Mrs.  Whitman  nor  yet  was  it  Mrs.  Shelton.  It  was 
Annie,  "my  beloved  sister"  as  he  was  pleased  to  call  her, 
and  I  believe  that  his  other  infatuations,  as  well  as  his 
peculiar  treatment  of  Mrs.  Whitman,  were  merely  the 
result  of  his  disordered  fancy. 

If  Poe  ever  loved  any  woman,  as  contradistinguished 
from  women,  it  was  "Annie."  She  appealed  to  him  in  the 
only  way  a  woman  can  properly  appeal  to  a  man.  Love, 
with  a  foundation  of  respect,  can  never  be  destroyed. 

It  was  to  "Annie"  Poe's  heart  turned  in  his  darkest  days 
and,  when  the  melancholy  night  forced  on  him  the  urge 
of  death  as  the  only  release  from  his  overpowering  depres 
sion,  it  was  of  "Annie"  he  thought,  and  to  whom  in  his 
agony  he  wrote  the  farewell  letter. 

He  described  her  in  Lander's  cottage  which,  in  one  of  his 
letters,  he  said,  contained  "something  about  Annie": 

Instantly  a  figure  advanced  to  the  threshold — that  of  a  young  wo 
man,  slender,  or  rather  slight,  and  somewhat  above  the  medium 
height.  As  she  approached,  with  a  certain  modest  decision  of  step  al 
together  indescribable,  I  said  to  myself,  'Surely  here  I  have  found  the 
perfection  of  natural  in  contradistinction  from  artificial  grace.'  The 
second  impression  which  she  made  on  me,  but  by  far  the  more  vivid  of 
the  two,  was  that  of  enthusiasm.  So  intense  an  expression  of  romance, 
perhaps  I  should  call  it,  or  of  unworldliness,  as  that  which  gleamed 
from  her  deep-set  eyes,  had  never  so  sunk  into  my  heart  of  hearts  be 
fore.  I  know  not  how  it  is,  but  this  peculiar  expression  of  the  eye, 
wreathing  itself  occasionally  into  the  lips,  is  the  most  powerful,  if  not 
absolutely  the  sole  spell,  which  rivets  my  interest  in  woman.  '.Ro 
mance,'  provided  my  readers  fully  comprehend  what  I  would  here 
imply  by  the  word — 'romance'  and  'womanliness'  seem  to  me  conver 
tible  terms:  and,  after  all,  what  man  truly  loves  in  woman,  is,  simply, 
her  womanhood.  The  eyes  of  Annie  (I  heard  someone  from  the  interior 


116      POE:  A  PSYCHOPATHIC  STUDY 

call  her  'Annie,  darling!')  were  'spiritual  gray';  her  hair,  a  light  chest 
nut  :  this  is  all  I  had  time  to  observe  of  her. 

It  was  "For  Annie"  that  one  of  his  most  remarkable — 
Stedman  names  it  the  finest,  and  I  know  no  better  Poe 
authority — poems  was  written  and  to  her  he  consecrates 
his  eternal  love: 

And  so  it  lies  happily, 

Bathing  in  many 
A  dream  of  the  truth 

And  the  beauty  of  Annie — 
Drowned  in  a  bath 

Of  the  tresses  of  Annie. 

She  tenderly  kissed  me, 

She  fondly  caressed, 
And  then  I  fell  gently 

To  sleep  on  her  breast. 
Deeply  to  sleep 

From  the  heaven  of  her  breast. 

And  I  rest  so  contentedly, 

Now  in  my  bed 
(With  her  love  at  my  breast) 

That  you  fancy  me  dead — 
That  you  shudder  to  look  at  me, 

Thinking  me  dead : — 

But  my  heart  it  is  brighter 

Than  all  of  the  many 
Stars  in  the  sky, 

For  it  sparkles  with  Annie 
It  glows  with  the  light 

Of  the  love  of  my  Annie — 
With  the  thought  of  the  light 

Of  the  eyes  of  my  Annie. 

Although  Poe's  reputation  had  so  greatly  grown  that  all 
magazines  and  periodicals  were  opened  to  him  at  remuner 
ative  prices,  he  delayed  publishing  his  magnum  opus,  and 
was  contented  with  a  few  reviews  and  descriptive  stories. 
He  wrote : 

'I  am  so  busy  now,  and  feel  so  full  of  energy.  Engagements  to  write 
are  pouring  in  upon  me  every  day.  I  had  two  proposals  last  week  from 
Boston.  I  sent  yesterday  a  contribution  to  the  'American  Review' 


POE:  A  PSYCHOPATHIC  STUDY      117 

about  Critics  and  Criticism.  Not  long  ago  I  sent  one  to  the  'Metro 
politan'  called  Landors  Cottage :  it  has  something  about  Annie  in  it, 
and  will  appear,  I  suppose,  in  the  March  number.  To  the  'So.  Lit. 
Messenger'  I  have  sent  fifty  pages  of  Marginalia,  five  pages  to 
appear  each  month  of  the  current  year.  I  have  also  made  permanent 
engagements  with  every  magazine  in  America  (except  Peterson's 
National')  including  a  Cincinnati  magazine,  called  the  'Gentle 
man's'. 

While  these  statements  may  in  a  way  be  regarded  as 
"expansive,"  and  are  characteristic  of  those  alternating 
states  of  exaltation  and  depression  from  which  Poe  suf 
fered,  there  was  truth  in  them. 

Poe  did  not  realize  that  his  opportunity  had  come  too 
late,  and  that  he  no  longer  had  the  capacity  to  deliver. 
The  Landor  Cottage  and  its  near  relation,  The  Domain  of 
Arnheim,  are  the  best  works  of  this  period.  Poe,  mentally 
diseased,  was  more  capable  of  such  descriptive  work  than 
any  of  his  contempararies,  normal. 

Poe's  apparent  return  to  health  and  his  prospect  of  com 
ing  independence  were  not  of  long  duration.  Early  in  1849 
he  relapsed. 

Mrs.  Clemm  wrote : 

I  thought  he  would  die  several  times.  God  knows  I  wish  we  were 
both  dead  and  in  our  graves.  It  would  I  am  sure  be  far  better. 

Poe  wrote  to  Mrs.  Whitman : 

My  sadness  is  unaccountable,  and  this  makes  me  the  more  sad.  I 
am  full  of  forebodings.  Nothing  cheers  or  comforts  me.  My  life  seems 
wasted — the  future  looks  a  dreary  blank. 

This  letter  contains  a  possible  key  to  the  "solution"  of 
Poe's  personal  equation.  It  is  as  typical  as  the  one  quoted 
just  before  it  of  his  abnormal  mental  state. 

Poe  again  had  visions  of  a  new  magazine  and,  this  time, 
it  was  with  a  man  from  Oquawka.  Actual  business  ar 
rangements  were  entered  into  and  money  was  advanced 
for  its  publication.  In  an  effort  to  raise  funds  for  his  share 


118      POE:  A  PSYCHOPATHIC  STUDY 

in  this  enterprise,  Poe  undertook  a  lecture  tour ;  but  his 
departure  from  Fordham  was  delayed  by  a  serious  attack 
of  depression  which  temporarily  unfitted  him  for  all 
attempts  of  a  literary  character.  Either  he  had  a  presenti 
ment,  or  his  own  condition  was  such  that  he  believed 
death  was  near. 

It  was  at  this  time  that  Poe  is  said  to  have  asked  Mrs. 
Lewis  to  write  his  memoir.  In  his  morbid,  and  occasionally 
maudlin,  condition,  he  might  have  made  this  request 
many  times  and  of  many  people. 

Although  Mrs.  Lewis  is  named  as  one  of  Poe's  friends 
who  gave  him  aid  and  comfort  in  his  time  of  trouble,  I 
seriously  question  whether  or  not  it  was  a  pose.  There  is 
reason  to  believe  that  her  friendship  was  rather  due  to 
Poe's  literary  standing,  the  favors  she  had  received 
from  him  and  the  assistance  that  she  expected  in  further 
ing  her  literary  pretensions,  than  to  any  genuine  friend 
ship. 

There  are  certain  letters  on  record  which  give  me  the 
right  to  make  this  deduction.  The  first  was  written  by  Poe 
to  Griswold  and  is  a  plea  for  a  more  lenient,  or  a  more  lib 
eral  judgment  of  Mrs.  Lewis,  in  his  "Female  Poets  of 
America." 

Since  I  have  more  critically  examined  your  'Female  Poets/  it  oc 
curs  to  me  that  you  have  not  quite  done  justice  to  our  common  friend, 
Mrs.  Lewis ;  and  if  you  would  oblige  me  so  far  as  to  substitute,  for  your 
no  doubt  hurried  notice,  a  somewhat  longer  one  prepared  by  myself,  I 
would  reciprocate  the  favor  when,  where,  and  as  you  please. 

The  italicised  as  makes  it  evident  that  Poe  was  prepared 
to  pay  in  whatever  coin  Griswold  might  demand.  Poe  had 
no  money  but  he  did  have  a  remarkably  vigorous  pen. 
Those  were  queer  times  and  we  cannot  always  believe 
everything  we  read:  in  the  case  of  Poe  the  remarkable 
thing  was  that  sooner  or  later  his  critical  judgment  asserted 
itself,  and  he  made  plain  his  genuine  estimate.  Both  Poe 


POE:  A  PSYCHOPATHIC  STUDY      119 

and  Griswold  were  worth  cultivating  by  any  lady  with 
literary  aspirations. 

It  is  on  record  that  Poe  wrote  Thomas : 

You  would  oblige  me  very  especially  if  you  would  squeeze  in  what 
follows,  editorially.  The  lady  (Mrs.  Lewis)  spoken  of,  is  a  most  par 
ticular  friend  of  mine,  and  deserves  all  I  have  said  of  her.  I  will  recip 
rocate  the  favor  I  ask,  whenever  you  say  the  word  and  show  me  how. 

It  has  been  said  that  it  was  of  this  lady's  poems  that 
Poe,  when  asked  to  review  them,  "simply  remarked  that  if 
he  reviewed  her  rubbish  it  would  kill  him." 

This,  like  many  other  alleged  side-remarks  attributed  to 
Poe,  is  apocryphal.  Harrison  quotes  Poe  as  writing: 

Mrs.  Lewis  is,  perhaps,  the  best  educated,  if  not  the  most  accom 
plished  of  American  authoresses.  .  .  .  She  is  not  only  cultivated  as 
respects  the  usual  ornaments  of  her  sex,  but  excels  as  a  modern  lin 
guist,  and  very  especially  as  a  classical  scholar;  while  her  scientific 
acquisitions  are  of  no  common  order. 

After  Poe's  death  and  the  appearance  of  the  Ludwig 
article  with  the  "Memoir'  containing  a  letter  Poe  had 
written  to  Griswold  in  which  this  lady's  name  was  men 
tioned — not  a  nice  thing  for  Griswold  to  have  done — Mrs. 
Lewis  wrote  Griswold : 

Nothing  has  ever  given  me  so  much  insight  into  Mr.  Poe's  real 
character  as  his  letters  to  you,  which  are  published  in  this  third  volume. 
They  will  not  fail  to  convince  the  public  of  the  injustice  of  Graham 
and  Neal's  articles.  I  was  astonished  at  the  part  of  P.'s  Note,  where  he 
says — 'But  I  have  promised  Mrs.  L.  this.'  I  will  explain.  Mrs.  Qlemm] 
said  to  me  on  one  of  her  visits,  'Dr.  G[riswold]  has  been  at  Fordham. 
He  came  to  see  Eddie  about  you.  Something  about  the  new  edition  of 
"The  Female  Poets."  But  you  are  not  to  know  anything  about  it.' 
Mr.  P.  never  mentioned  the  subject  to  me,  or  I  to  him.  He  only  sent 
to  me  for  my  latest  poems,  saying  that  you  were  going  to  increase  or 
rewrite  the  Sketch  for  a  new  edition  of  The  Female  Poets.' 

Such  a  return  for  such  a  kindly  meant  act  of  Poe  by  such 
a  woman!  It  is  to  be  hoped  that  she  so  placated  Griswold 
that  he  did  amplify  her  "Sketch,'1  even  though  she  comes 


120       POE:  A  PSYCHOPATHIC  STUDY 

down  to  us  not  because  she  appeared  among  the  "Female 
Poets, ' '  but  because  all  biographers  have  included  her  as  one 
of  Poe's  friends  and  as  his  benefactress.  This  letter  has  not 
been  commented  on  by  any  of  Poe's  biographers,  although 
Woodbury  refers  to  it  in  his  "Notes". 

Poe  abandoned  his  home  at  Fordham  and  spent  his  last 
night  in  New  York  at  the  home  of  Mrs.  Lewis.  She  thus 
describes  his  condition : 

He  seemed  very  sad  and  retired  early.  On  leaving  next  morning, 
he  took  my  hands  in  his  and,  looking  into  my  face  said,  'Dear  Stella, 
my  much  beloved  friend,  you  truly  understand  and  appreciate  me.  I 
have  a  presentiment  that  I  never  shall  see  you  again.  I  must  leave 
today  for  Richmond.  If  I  never  return  write  my  life.  You  can  and  will 
do  me  justice.' 

From  New  York  Poe  took  a  boat  for  Philadelphia,  and, 
for  the  last  time,  saw  Mrs.  Clemm.  She  thus  registers  his 
farewell  promise: 

God  bless  you,  my  own  darling  mother.  Do  not  fear  for  your  Eddy. 
See  how  good  I  will  be  while  I  am  away  from  you,  and  will  come  back 
to  love  and  comfort  you. 

Two  days  later  Poe  appeared  in  Sartain's  office  in  Phila 
delphia,  suffering  from  a  pronounced  mental  disturbance. 
He  had  delusions  of  persecution  and  believed  that  he  was 
being  followed  by  enemies  who  were  attempting  his 
destruction.  Woodberry,  quoting  Sartain,  thus  describes 
his  condition : 

Poe  went  to  Philadelphia,  and,  apparently  after  a  day  or  two, 
entered  the  office  of  John  Sartain,  proprietor  of  'Sartain's  Magazine,' 
his  friend  for  the  past  nine  years,  and  exclaimed  excitedly,  'I  have 
come  to  you  for  refuge.'  He  was  delirious  and  suffering  from  what 
seems  to  have  been  an  habitual  delusion  in  such  attacks,  a  fear  of  a 
conspiracy  against  him.  Sartain,  who  long  remembered  the  visions 
about  which  Poe  raved  and  the  persistence  with  which  he  besought 
him  for  laudanum,  reassured  him,  and  cared  for  him  some  days,  accom 
panied  him  when  he  went  out,  and  brought  him  back;  once  Poe 
escaped  and  seems  to  have  passed  that  night  in  an  open  field,  but  Sar- 


POE:  A  PSYCHOPATHIC  STUDY      121 

tain  told  the  story  with  variations  at  different  times ;  toward  the  end 
two  other  old  friends  assisted  in  caring  for  him. 

Just  how  long  a  period  elapsed  after  leaving  Fordham 
before  Poe  was  found  in  this  condition,  is  uncertain ;  yet  it 
is  a  matter  of  medical  importance  in  diagnosing  his  disease. 
If  Poe  was  normal  when  he  left  New  York,  and  his  mother, 
who  watched  over  him  so  carefully,  believed  that  he  was 
in  condition  to  start  on  a  lecturing  tour,  this  delirium  could 
not  have  been  the  result  of  only  two  days  use  of  alcohol. 
There  must  have  been  an  organic  brain  change  for  alco 
hol  to  have  acted  so  quickly;  even  without  the  use  of 
any  stimulant,  this  condition  occasionally  develops.  We 
could  possibly  dignify  it  by  the  name  of  Melancholia, 
the  preceding  state  having  been  a  Melancholy.  Whatever 
name  we  use,  the  indisputable  fact  remains  that  there 
was  an  organic  congestion  of  the  meninges  of  the  brain. 
This  condition  could  not  have  been  altogether  due  to  alco 
hol.  It  often  does  happen,  after  a  prolonged  debauch,  that 
delirium  tremens  results,  characterized  by  all  the  symp 
toms  Poe's  condition  presented,  but  this  comes  only  after 
an  extended  period  of  acute  alcoholism,  save  in  those  cases 
only  where  there  has  developed  an  organic  cerebral  degen 
eration.  The  opinion  that  it  was  due  to  an  organic  lesion 
is  strengthened  by  a  communication  made  by  Poe's  cousin, 
Neilson  Poe,  who  was  present  at  Poe's  death.  He  wrote : 

The  history  of  the  last  few  days  of  his  life  is  known  to  no  one  so 
well  as  to  myself.  ...  I  trust  that  I  can  demonstrate  that  he  passed, 
by  a  single  indulgence,  from  a  condition  of  perfect  sobriety  to  one  bor 
dering  on  the  madness  usually  occasioned  by  long  continued  intoxica 
tion,  and  that  he  is  entitled  to  a  far  more  favorable  judgment  upon  his 
last  hours  than  he  has  received. 

No  matter  what  term  we  use  in  diagnosing  Poe's  mental 
disease,  it  is  not  difficult  to  deduce  the  facts.  It  is 
extremely  probable,  but  not  necessarily  true,  that  Poe 
took  some  form  of  alcoholic  stimulant.  An  opiate  could  not 


122       POE:  A  PSYCHOPATHIC  STUDY 

have  produced  this  condition,  for  it  would  have  rather 
tended  to  soothe  a  patient  thus  afflicted.  We  know  of  no 
better  drug  in  melancholia — no  matter  how  produced — 
than  cumulative  doses  of  opium.  It  is  also  a  fact  that,  in 
these  diseased  brain  cells,  there  is  set  up  an  abnormal 
brain  psychology,  the  exact  mechanism  of  which  is  still  a 
matter  of  guesswork  amongst  psycho-pathologists. 

At  all  events  this  changed  mentality  is  accompanied, 
and  I  believe  is  caused,  by  excessive  circulation  of  the 
blood  in  the  brain,  exciting  both  the  centers  of  the  special 
senses  and  the  cells  presiding  over  ideation.  These  tech 
nical  explanations  have  no  value  further  than  they  aid  in 
clearing  up  the  condition  of  Poe  at  the  time  of  his  death, 
a  subject  which  ever  since  has  been  controversial. 

Letters  of  Poe,  written  about  this  time,  throw  further 
light  upon  his  mental  condition: 

My  dear,  dear  Mother — I  have  been  so  ill — have  had  the  cholera, 
or  spasms  quite  as  bad,  and  can  now  hardly  hold  the  pen. 

The  very  instant  you  get  this  come  to  me.  The  joy  of  seeing  you 
will  almost  compensate  for  our  sorrows.  We  can  but  die  together.  It  is 
no  use  to  reason  with  me  now ;  I  must  die.  I  have  no  desire  to  live  since 
I  have  done  Eureka.  I  could  accomplish  nothing  more.  For  your  sake  it 
would  be  sweet  to  live,  but  we  must  die  together.  You  have  been  all  in 
all  to  me,  darling,  ever  beloved  Mother,  and  dearest  truest  friend. 

I  was  never  really  insane,  except  on  occasions  where  my  heart  was 
touched.  I  have  been  taken  to  prison  once  since  I  came  here  for  getting 
drunk.  But  then  I  was  not,  it  was  about  Virginia. 

Fortunately,  Mrs.  Clemm  was  far  away  at  the  time 
these  thoughts,  as  here  expressed,  dominated  Poe.  Pos 
sibly  many  times  before,  while  Mrs.  Clemm  was  in  active 
attendance  upon  him,  these  same  ideas  came  to  him. 
If  so,  she  was  in  real  danger.  Homicidal  mania  such  as  this, 
especially  when  due  to  alcoholism,  has  not  infrequently 
cost  the  lives  not  only  of  the  patient  but  of  those  he  loved 
and  who  most  tenderly  ministered  to  his  necessities. 

It  is  possible  that  a  much  longer  period  elapsed  than  has 


POE:  A  PSYCHOPATHIC  STUDY      123 

been  estimated  between  Poe's  leaving  New  York  and  his 
call  upon  Sartain.  Woodberry  puts  it  at  a  "day  or  two." 
Sartain  says : 

He  said  that  he  had  been  thrown  in  Moyamensing  Prison  for 
forging  a  check  and  while  there  a  white  female  figure  had  appeared  on 
the  battlements  and  had  addressed  him  in  whispers.  '  If  I  had  not  heard 
what  she  said,'  he  declared,  'it  would  have  been  the  end  of  me/ 

Such  hallucinations  are  most  frequent ;  undoubtedly  the 
memory  of  the  prison  was  as  much  a  delusion  as  the  hear 
ing  of  a  voice  and  the  sight  of  a  "white  female  figure"  were 
hallucinations.  Poe  recovered  from  this  attack,  and  spent 
some  weeks  in  Richmond  among  his  friends,  who  received 
him  kindly,  and  extensively  entertained  him.  His  letters, 
however,  show  that  he  had  not  yet  recovered. 

Oh,  my  darling  mother,  it  is  now  three  weeks  since  I  saw  you,  and 
in  all  that  time,  your  poor  Eddy  has  scarcely  drawn  a  breath  except  of 
intense  agony.  Perhaps  you  are  sick  or  gone  from  Fordham  in  despair, 
or  dead.  .  .  .  Oh,  Mother,  I  am  so  ill  while  I  write —  .  .  .  My  valise 
was  lost  for  ten  days.  At  last  I  found  it  at  the  depot  in  Philadelphia, 
but  they  had  opened  it  and  stolen  both  lectures.  All  my  object  here  is 
over  unless  I  can  recover  them  or  rewrite  one  of  them. 

In  another  letter,  written  to  Mrs.  Clemm  shortly  after 
this,  he  says : 

You  will  see  at  once  by  the  handwriting  of  this  letter,  that  I  am 
better — much  better — in  health  and  spirits.  Oh  if  you  knew  how  your 
dear  letter  comforted  me!  It  acted  like  magic.  Most  of  my  sufferings 
arose  from  that  terrible  idea  which  I  could  not  get  rid  of — the  idea 
that  you  were  dead.  For  more  than  ten  days  I  was  totally  deranged, 
although  I  was  not  drinking  one  drop;  and  during  this  interval  I 
imagined  the  most  horrible  calamities. 

It  is  probably  true,  in  spite  of  Poe's  denials,  that  alcohol 
precipitated  this  attack.  But  alcohol  alone  could  not  have 
produced  such  hallucinations  and  delusions  unless  it  had 
been  continued  at  least  two  or  three  weeks,  or  had  there  not 
been,  as  a  basis,  a  diseased  cerebrum. 

It  was  during  these  Richmond  days  that  he  again  met, 


124       POE:  A  PSYCHOPATHIC  STUDY 

wooed  and  won  Mrs.  Shelton.  At  this  same  time  he  was 
arranging  with  Patterson  for  the  Oquawka  magazine. 
Evidently  no  suspicion  of  approaching  death  was  disturb 
ing  him.  It  is  probable  that  a  temporary  expansive  state 
was  alternating  with  the  depression  from  which  he  had 
been  suffering.  Mrs.  Weiss  writes: 

The  knowledge  of  this  weakness  was  by  his  own  request  concealed 
from  me.  All  that  I  knew  of  the  matter  was  when  a  friend  informed  me 
that 'Mr.  Poe  was  too  unwell  to  see  us  that  evening.'  .  .  .  On  the  day 
following  he  made  his  appearance  among  us,  but  so  pale,  tremulous, 
and  apparently  subdued  as  to  convince  me  that  he  had  been  seriously 
ill.  On  this  occasion  he  had  been  at  the  'Old  Swan,'  where  he  was  care 
fully  tended  by  Mrs.  Mackenzie's  family,  but  on  a  second  and  more 
serious  relapse  he  was  taken  by  Dr.  Mackenzie  and  Dr.  Gibbon  Carter 
to  Duncan  Lodge,  where  during  some  days  his  life  was  in  imminent 
danger.  Assiduous  attention  saved  him,  but  it  was  the  opinion  of  the 
physicians  that  another  such  attack  would  prove  fatal.  .  .  .  Dr. 
Carter  relates  how,  on  this  occasion,  he  had  a  long  conversation  with 
him,  in  which  Poe  expressed  the  most  earnest  desire  to  break  from  the 
thralldom  of  his  besetting  sin,  and  told  of  his  many  unavailing  struggles 
to  do  so. 

Poe,  in  spite  of  these  repeated  attacks,  was  seriously 
considering  marriage  with  Mrs.  Shelton,  but,  before  he 
took  this  step,  he  wished  to  bring  Mrs.  Clemm  from 
New  York,  and  again  he  ventured  forth  alone.  No  one  can 
trace  his  movements  from  the  time  he  left  Richmond,  in 
his  effort  to  reach  New  York,  until  he  was  found  insensi 
ble  on  the  water  front  of  Baltimore.  In  this  condition  he 
was  removed  to  the  Washington  University  Hospital, 
under  the  charge  of  Dr.  Moran,  where,  a  few  days  later, 
he  died. 

On  his  way  north  he  stopped  at  Baltimore.  Woodberry 
thus  narrates  the  essential  facts : 

Just  as  when  in  the  summer  of  1 847  at  Philadelphia  he  was  saved 
by  a  friend,  just  as  when  in  the  summer  of  1848  at  Boston  he  was 
saved  by  a  friend,  just  as  in  the  summer  of  1 849  he  was  saved  by  Burr, 


POE:  A  PSYCHOPATHIC  STUDY      125 

he  had  experienced  one  of  those  repeated  attacks,  worse  at  each  re 
turn,  and  he  had  found  no  friend  by  to  save  him. 

His  one  friend  and  his  loyal  friend,  his  "Dear,  Dear 
Muddy,"  never  should  have  left  him.  It  would  have 
been  better  for  him  and  for  his  good  name  had  he  died 
when  death  so  nearly  seized  him  at  his  home  in  Ford- 
ham.  At  least  no  name  but  that  of  Virginia  would  have 
been  connected  with  his  own ;  and  he  might  have  passed 
into  history  as  a  shining  example  of  connubial  happiness 
that  death  itself  could  not  dissever.  The  picture  Harrison 
drew  of  Poe's  mental  sufferings,  due  to  the  death  of  Vir 
ginia,  might  at  least  have  seemed  to  have  some  foundation 
in  fact ;  nor  would  it  have  given  his  enemies  the  opportunity 
of  rejoicing  because  of  his  end.  Death  would  also  have 
saved  the  poor  old  mother,  who  was  so  willing  to  sacrifice 
all  personal  jfeeling,  the  agony  of  anticipating  a  marriage 
feast  set  out  with  cold  meats  and  decorated  with  cypress 
boughs.  A  few  days  later  she  was  summoned  to  a  different 
ceremony :  abject  poverty  prevented  even  this  journey. 

Two  weeks  after  Poe's  death,  his  physician,  Dr.  J.  J. 
Moran,  wrote  a  fairly  complete  statement,  covering  the 
facts  of  his  death  and  described,  with  sufficient  detail,  its 
essential  features. 

When  Poe  was  taken  to  the  hospital  he  was  uncon 
scious  and  remained  in  that  condition  from  five  o'clock  in 
the  afternoon  until  three  on  the  following  morning. 

To  this  state  succeeded  tremor  of  the  limbs,  and  at  first  a  busy  but 
not  violent  or  active  delirium — constant  talking  and  vacant  con 
verse  with  spectral  and  imaginary  objects  on  the  walls.  His  face  was 
pale  and  his  whole  person  drenched  in  perspiration.  We  were  unable  to 
induce  tranquility  before  the  second  day  after  his  admission.  Having 
left  orders  with  the  nurses  to  that  effect,  I  was  summoned  to  his  bed 
side  so  soon  as  consciousness  supervened  and  questioned  him  with  ref 
erence  to  his  family,  his  place  of  residence,  relatives,  etc.  But  his 
answers  were  incoherent  and  unsatisfactory.  He  told  me,  however, 
that  he  had  a  wife  in  Richmond  (which  I  have  since  learned  was  not 


126      POE:  A  PSYCHOPATJ- 

the  fact),  that  he  did  not  know  when  he  had| 
become  of  his  trunk  of  clothing.  .  .  .  Mr. 
left  him  a  short  time.  When  I  returned  I  foi 
ium,  resisting  the  efforts  of  two  nurses  to 
continued  till  Saturday  evening  (he  was 
when  he  commenced  calling  for  one  *Reyno| 
the  night  until  three  on  Sunday  morning, 
change  began  to  affect  him.  Having  becom] 
he  became  quiet  and  seemed  to  rest  for  a  si 
ing  his  head,  he  said  'Lord  help  my  poor 

This  is  a  simple  and  clear  medical  history.  While  it  con 
tains  nothing  that  might  hurt  the  mother,  it  does  not 
attempt  to  minimize  or  explain  away  Poe's  real  condition 
on  entrance,  or  to  deny  the  delusions  and  hallucinations 
from  which  he  suffered.  It  is  an  intelligent  statement  cov 
ering  the  details  of  a  death  due  to  brain  inflammation,  or 
engorgement. 

It  is  unfortunate  that  Moran,  in  again  writing  on  this 
subject,  depended  on  his  "senile  memories."  If  any  mem 
ory  ever  did  need  refreshing  it  was  his,  for,  some  thirty-five 
years  later,  he  wrote  another  account  which  in  no  particu 
lar  corresponds  with  the  earlier  one.  In  1885,  Dr.  Moran 
published  his  much  discussed  "Defense  of  Edgar  Allan 
Poe,"  giving  the  "Life,  Character  and  Dying  Declaration  of 
the  Poet." 

It  was  inspired  by  Mrs.  Shelton,  written  at  her  request, 
and  dedicated  to  her. 

While  it  is  a  loyal  defense,  it  speaks  for  the  heart  rather 
than  the  memory  of  Dr.  Moran.  Like  other  things  that  I 
have  quoted  and  which  emanate  from  Poe's  Southern 
friends  and  admirers  (I  also  come  from  the  South,  so  can 
speak  with  sympathetic  tenderness,  though  possibly  the 
San  Francisco  fogs  have  somewhat  cooled  my  ardent  tem 
perament),  and  which  relate  either  to  their  ideals  of  the 
past,  or  to  their  great  dead,  it  is  essentially  "Southern" 
in  that  it  is  impassioned,  swayed  by  sympathy  for  the 


POE:  A  PSYCHOPATHIC  STUDY       127 

living  and  a  profound  respect  for  the  dead.  It  contains 
nothing  that  aids  us ;  it  rather  confuses  because  it  so  essen 
tially  differs  from  the  simple  and  direct  story  originally 
written.  It  is  impressionistic,  unlike  that  other  biogra 
phy  I  have  quoted  contained  in  "The  Ladies  Reposi 
tory"  and  edited  by  the  Rev.  D.  W.  Clark.  Of  the  two  I 
prefer  that  of  the  medical  to  the  one  published  by  the 
Reverend  Doctor.  Whenever  the  name  of  Poe  is  mentioned 
in  the  "Defense"  it  is  invariably  written  in  capitals  show 
ing  with  what  profound  respect  Moran  revered  even  the 
name  of  Poe. 

EDGAR  ALLAN  POE  has  been  more  misunderstood  than  any 
other  poet  of  the  recent  past.  While  his  life  was  beautiful  and  inspired, 
yet  aspersed,  his  last  moments  had  more  of  sublimity  than  that  of  any 
of  his  contemporaries.  The  author  of  gems  so  delicate  as  Annabel  Lee, 
The  Raven,  and  Lenore,  while  no  less  human  and  frail  than  others  of 
his  day,  had  a  soul  and  heart  that  stamped  him  an  offshoot  of  Divin 
ity. 

If  this  opening  paragraph  is  somewhat  rhapsodical,  at 
least  it  is  more  in  consonance  with  the  charitable  dictates 
that  should  govern  us  in  speaking  not  only  of  the  dead 
but  of  our  living  brothers,  than  is  that  other  biography 
beginning,  "Edgar  Allan  Poe  was  incontestably  one  of  the 
most  worthless  persons  of  whom  we  have  any  record  in  the 
world  of  letters."  They  are  equally  untrue. 

Quoting  from  Moran : 

Much  has  been  said  and  written  in  relation  to  this  singular  and 
most  remarkable  of  all  our  poets,  whose  life  has  been  an  enigma  to  the 
world  and  whose  death  a  mystery.  The  nature  of  his  disease  and  how 
he  died,  up  to  the  present  day,  remains  a  matter  of  doubt  except  so  far 
as  have  been  gathered  from  a  few  brief  voluntary  publications  made 
by  his  physician.  .  .  .  Without  vanity  permit  me  to  say  I  firmly  be 
lieve  that  had  they  called  upon  me  for  statements  as  to  when  he  died, 
I  could  have  been  instrumental  in  preventing  his  'Dear  Muddie,'  Mrs. 
Maria  Clemm,  and  his  dear  affianced,  Mrs.  Shelton,  his  first  love,  his 
Annabel  Lee — from  the  sore  afflictions  and  trials  and  heart  burning 


128       POE:  A  PSYCHOPATHIC  STUDY 

that  fell  to  their  lot,  and  which  in  silence  they  endured.  .  .  .  Time 
speeds  on  and  I  repeat  that  thirty-five  years  have  passed,  and  at  this 
late  period  I  am  invited  and  urged  to  make  known  the  facts  so  long 
desired  in  reference  to  his  death.  I  am  grateful  to  a  kind  Providence 
for  having  spared  me  to  give  the  positive  facts  and  unfold  to  the  public 
mind  much  that  had  not  been  made  known,  and  I  hope  to  remove  all 
doubt  in  respect  to  the  uncertainty  which  has  so  long  surrounded  this 
part  of  POE'S  history  and  life.  I  now  proclaim  to  the  world  that  he  has 
been  shamefully  abused  and  misrepresented,  that  the  habit  of  intem 
perance,  which  to  some  extent  did  cling  to  him  in  his  earlier  history, 
did  not  continue  with  him  in  his  more  mature  life,  and  that  what  I 
shall  record,  shall  be  a  true,  unvarnished  story  from  personal  inter 
course  for  sixteen  hours  during  his  last  illness,  from  his  death-bed 
statements,  from  information  received  elsewhere,  and  from  near  and 
dear  friends,  those  who  knew  him  and  loved  him. 

It  was  my  sad  duty  as  his  physician  to  sit  by  his  deathbed;  to  ad 
minister  the  cup  of  consolation ;  to  moisten  his  parched  lips ;  to  wipe 
the  cold  death-dew  from  his  brow ;  and  to  catch  the  last  whispered  ar 
ticulations  that  fell  from  the  lips  of  a  being,  the  most  remarkable,  per 
haps,  this  country  has  ever  known.  Let  me  entreat  your  thoughtful 
attention,  therefore,  to  a  plain,  unvarnished  story  of  a  checkered  life, 
and  the  strange  and  melancholy  events  that  darkened  the  last  hours 
of  a  dying  genius. 

"A  Tale  I  would  unfold" — but,  unfortunately,  he  had 
unfolded  it  some  thirty-six  years  before,  and  apparently 
had  forgotten  to  refold  it.  The  report  he  now  makes  is  so 
diametrically  opposed  to  that  contained  in  a  letter  to 
Mrs.  Clemm,  immediately  following  Poe's  death,  that  we 
must  believe,  influenced  by  his  subject  and  entirely  for 
getting  the  facts,  he  has  drawn  up  a  story  of  "ratioci 
nation"  befitting  one  whose  reputation  has  cast  a  halo  over 
an  event  of  such  tragic  importance,  and  thus  attempts 
to  associate  his  own  name  with  that  of  the  immortal  dead. 
It  is  not  a  deliberate  attempt  to  deceive;  simply  time  had 
filled  Moran's  brain  cells  with  "lime,"  and  many  of  them 
had  been  absorbed.  It  is  not  to  be  believed  that  Dr.  Moran 
actually  sat  for  sixteen  hours  wiping  the  "death-dew" 
from  the  arched  brow,  or  that  he  administered  any  cup  of 


POE:  A  PSYCHOPATHIC  STUDY      129 

consolation,  or  even  moistened  the  parched  lips ;  this  is  all 
Southern  hyperbole.  It  is  what  Moran  might  have  done 
had  Poe  come  back  after  thirty-five  years  with  all  his  accu 
mulated  legends  and  his  glorious  reputation ;  what  I  cer 
tainly  would  be  proud  of  having  done,  provided  by  some 
reversal  of  the  law  of  mortality,  I  had  been  placed  in  the 
position  of  Dr.  Moran.  Probably  what  he  did  do  was,  as  he 
related  thirty-six  years  earlier — not  knowing  who  Poe  was, 
he  turned  him  over  to  a  nurse.  His  thirty-six-year-after 
statement,  as  far  as  it  concerns  the  death  of  Poe,  begins 
with  a  diagnosis  given  by  the  hackdriver  who  brought  him 
to  the  hospital : 

Where  did  you  find  this  man?'  'On  Light  Street  wharf,  sir.'  I  said, 
'dead  drunk  I  suppose?'  He  replied,  'No,  sir;  he  was  a  sick  man,  a  very 
sick  man  sir.'  Why  do  you  think  he  was  not  drunk?'  I  asked.  'He  did 
not  smell  of  whiskey,'  said  the  driver,  'he  is  too  white  in  the  face.  I 
picked  him  up  in  my  arms  like  a  baby,  sir,  and  put  him  in  the  hack.' 

Little  did  I  then  think,  that  after  thirty-five  years  I  should  be 
called  upon  to  give  a  full  account  of  POE'S  death  and  to  defend  the 
man  whom  at  that  hour  I  believed  to  be  drunk;  and  that  man,  the 
great  American  genius,  whose  name  is  now  a  household  word. 

In  a  few  minutes  POE  threw  the  cover  from  his  breast,  and  look 
ing  up  asked  the  nurse,  'Where  am  I  ?'  The  nurse  made  no  reply  but 
rang  for  me.  I  attended  the  call  immediately,  and  placing  my  chair  by 
the  side  of  the  patient's  bed,  took  his  left  hand  in  my  own  and  with  my 
right  hand  pushed  back  the  raven  black  locks  of  hair  that  covered  his 
forehead. 

I  asked  him  how  he  felt.  He  answered,  'Miserable.'  'Do  you  suffer 
much  pain?'  'No.'  'Do  you  feel  sick  at  the  stomach?'  'Yes,  slightly.' 
'Does  your  head  ache,  have  you  any  pain  there?'  putting  my  hand  on 
his  forehead.  'Yes.'  'Mr.  POE,  how  long  have  you  been  sick?'  'Can't 
say.'  .  .  . 

The  sick  man  said,  'Where  am  I  ?'  'You  are  in  the  hands  of  your 
friends,'  I  replied,  'and  as  soon  as  you  are  better,  I  will  have  you  moved 
to  another  part  of  the  house,  where  you  can  receive  them.'  He  was 
looking  the  room  over  with  his  large  dark  eyes,  and  I  feared  he  would 
think  he  was  unkindly  dealt  with,  by  being  put  in  this  prison-like 
room,  with  its  wired  inside  windows,  and  iron  grating  outside. 


130       POE:  A  PSYCHOPATHIC  STUDY 

I  now  felt  it  necessary  that  I  should  determine  the  nature  of  his 
disease  and  make  out  a  correct  diagnosis,  so  as  to  treat  him  properly. 
I  did  not  then  know  but  he  might  have  been  drinking,  and  so  as  to 
determine  the  matter  I  said : 

'Mr.  POE,  you  are  extremely  weak,  pulse  very  low ;  I  will  give  you 
a  glass  of  toddy.'  He  opened  wide  his  eyes,  and  fixed  them  so  steadily 
upon  me,  and  with  such  anguish  in  them  that  I  had  to  look  from  him 
to  the  wall  beyond  the  bed. 

He  then  said,  'Sir,  if  I  thought  its  potency  would  transport  me 
to  the  Elysian  bowers  of  the  undiscovered  spirit  world,  I  would  not 
take  it.' 

'I  will  then  administer  an  opiate,  to  give  you  sleep  and  rest,'  I 
said.  Then  he  rejoined,  Twin  sister,  spectre  to  the  doomed  and  crazed 
mortals  of  earth  and  perdition.' 

I  was  entirely  shorn  of  my  strength.  Here  was  a  patient  supposed 
to  have  been  drunk,  and  yet  refuses  to  take  liquor.  ...  I  found  there 
was  no  tremor  of  his  person,  no  unsteadiness  of  his  nerves,  no  fidgeting 
with  his  hands,  and  not  the  slightest  odor  of  liquor  upon  his  breath  or 
person.  I  saw  that  my  first  impression  had  been  a  mistaken  one.  He 
was  in  a  sinking  condition,  yet  perfectly  conscious. 

Dr.  Moran's  account  shows  a  marvelous  memory  for 
verbatim  statements  and  minute  details  of  events  which 
had  occurred  thirty-six  years  previously;  so  circumstan 
tial  and  accurate  were  they  that  I  am  sure  I  could  not  have 
retained  and  repeated  them  thirty-six  seconds  after  they 
were  uttered. 

This  would  be  a  trivial  and  uncalled  for  criticism  did  it 
not  concern  Dr.  Moran's  retraction  of  his  statement  made 
in  the  letter  he  wrote  Mrs.  Clemm  a  few  days  after  Poe's 
death,  while  the  facts  were  still  fresh  in  his  memory.  Ac 
cording  to  this  statement  Poe  was  unconscious  when 
admitted  and  remained  in  <his  condition  several  hours; 
this  was  "succeeded  by  a  tremor  of  the  limbs,  and  a 
busy  but  not  violent  delirium."  Dr.  Moran  also  stated 
that,  when  Poe  was  questioned  with  reference  to  his 
family,  "his  answers  were  incoherent  and  unsatisfactory. 
He  told  me  however  that  he  had  a  wife  in  Richmond." 


POE:  A  PSYCHOPATHIC  STUDY       131 

Further,  he  stated  that  Poe  became  violently  delirious  and 
sank  into  a  stupor,  dying  without  regaining  consciousness. 
This  renders  all  the  more  remarkable,  and  stamps  as 
"original"  because  it  sprang,  unaided,  from  Dr.  Moran's 
brain,  the  following  pen  picture  of  Poe's  actions  as  well 
as  his  last  words : 

I  said,  'Mr.  POE,  you  are  in  a  critical  condition,  and  the  least  ex 
citement  of  your  mind  will  endanger  your  life.'  He  said,  'Doctor,  I  am 
ill;  is  there  no  hope?'  The  chances  are  against  you.'  'How  long,  oh! 
how  long,'  he  cried,  'before  I  can  see  my  dear  Virginia,  my  dear  Le- 
nore!'  I  said  to  him,  'I  will  send  for  her  or  anyone  you  wish  to  see.'  I 
knew  nothing  of  his  family  or  friends.  I  asked  him,  'Have  you  a 
family?'  'No,'  said  he,  'my  wife  is  dead,  my  dear  Virginia.  My  mother- 
in-law  lives;  oh!  how  my  heart  bleeds  for  her;  she  said  when  we  last 
met  and  parted  at  Fordham,  "Eddie,  I  fear  this  will  be  our  last  meet 
ing."  '  I  said,  'Mr.  POE,  I  will  send  or  write  to  anyone  you  maydesire 
me.'  'Doctor,'  said  he,  'Death's  dark  angel  has  done  his  work.  Lan 
guage  cannot  express  the  terrific  tempest  that  sweeps  over  me,  and 
signals  the  alarm  of  death.  Oh,  God!  the  terrible  strait  I  am  in.'  'Shall 
I  write  to  anyone  for  you?'  'Yes,  Doctor,  write  to  my  mother-in-law, 
and  Mrs. no,  too  late!  Too  late!' 

Then  he  said,  'Write  to  both  at  once;  write  to  my  mother-in-law 
and  tell  her  "Eddie  is  here" — no,  too  late!  Doctor,  I  must  unbosom  to 
you  the  secret  of  my  heart,  though  dagger-like  it  pierces  my  soul.  I 
was  to  have  been  married  in  ten  days.' 

He  wept  like  a  child,  and  even  now  I  can  see  his  pale  face  that  told 
too  plainly  the  depth  of  grief  he  felt,  and  the  large  tear  drops  forcing 
their  way  down  the  furrows  of  his  pallid  cheeks.  I  again  asked,  'Shall  I 
send  for  the  lady?'  'No,  write  to  both;  inform  them  of  my  illness  and 
death  at  the  same  time,  and  say  that  no  conscious  act  of  mine  brought 
this  great  trouble  upon  me.  How  it  happened  that  I  am  brought  to 
this  place,  God  only  knows.  My  mind  has  kept  no  record  of  time;  it 
seems  a  dream,  a  horrible  dream.'  I  said,  'Mr.  POE,  my  carriage  is  at 
the  door;  I  will  send  for  the  lady.'  'No,'  said  he,  'write  to  Mrs.  Sarah 
E.  Shelton,  Richmond,  Va.,  and  Mrs.  Maria  Clemm,  Lowell,  Mass.' 

I  remained  by  his  side,  watching  every  breath  and  movement  of 
his  muscles.  He  had  no  tremor  or  spasmodic  action  at  this  period,  which 
was  twelve  hours  from  his  entrance  in  the  hospital.  I  noticed  the  color 
deepening  upon  his  cheeks  and  forehead,  blood  vessels  at  the  temple 


132       POE:  A  PSYCHOPATHIC  STUDY 

slightly  enlarging.  I  ordered  ice  to  his  head  and  heat  to  his  extremities, 
and  waited  in  his  room  about  fifteen  minutes  longer,  observing  no 
change  except  increase  in  the  circulation.  .  .  .  POE  continued  in  an 
unconscious  state  for  half  an  hour,  but  when  roused  he  was  conscious. 
On  visiting  him  again  I  found  his  pulse  feeble,  sharp,  and  very  irregu 
lar.  I  took  my  seat  by  his  bedside  and  closely  watched  him  for  twenty 
minutes  at  least ;  the  pupils  of  his  eyes  were  dilating  and  contracting. 
Death  was  rapidly  approaching.  Just  at  this  moment  my  friend,  Pro 
fessor  J.  C.  S.  Monkur,  came  into  the  sick  chamber.  As  soon  as  he  fixed 
his  eyes  upon  the  patient  he  said,  'He  will  die;  he  is  dying  now.'  After 
a  careful  examination,  Dr.  Monkur  gave  it  as  his  opinion  that  POE 
would  die  from  excessive  nervous  prostration  and  loss  of  nerve  power, 
resulting  from  exposure,  affecting  the  encephalon,  a  sensitive  and  deli 
cate  membrane  of  the  brain.  .  .  .  He  seemed  to  revive  a  little  and 
opening  his  eyes,  he  fixed  them  upon  the  window.  He  kept  them  un 
moved  for  more  than  a  minute.  I  have,  since  that  time,  been  forcibly 
impressed  with  the  wild  fancies  in  that  wonderful  poem,  The  Raven. 
Did  he  hear  a  'Gentle  tapping  at  the  window  lattice,'  and  was  his 
heart  still  a  moment,  'this  mystery  to  explore'  ?  Did  he  see  that  stately 
raven  'perched  upon  his  chamber  door.  Perched,  and  sat,  and  nothing 
more.'  The  dying  poet  was  articulating  something  in  a  very  low  voice, 
and  at  length  he  spoke  more  audibly  and  said,  'Doctor,  it  is  all  over.' 
I  then  said,  'Mr.  POE,  I  must  tell  you  that  you  are  near  your  end. 
Have  you  any  wish  or  word  for  friends?'  He  said,  'Nevermore/ 

At  length  he  exclaimed :  'O  God !  Is  there  no  ransom  for  the  death 
less  spirit?'  I  said,  'Yes,  look  to  your  Saviour;  there  is  mercy  for  you 
and  all  mankind.  God  is  love  and  the  gift  is  free.' 

The  dying  man  then  said  impressively,  'He  who  arched  the  heav 
ens  and  upholds  the  universe,  has  His  decrees  legibly  written  upon  the 
frontlet  of  every  human  being,  and  upon  demons  incarnate.' 

I  then  consoled  him  by  saying,  'He  died  for  you  and  me  and  all 
mankind.  Trust  in  His  mercy.'  .  .  . 

The  glassy  eyes  rolled  back ;  there  was  a  sudden  tremor ;  and  the 
immortal  soul  of  EDGAR  ALLAN  POE  was  borne  swiftly  away  to  the 
spirit  world. 

This  statement  of  Moran  is  somewhat  more  impressive 
than  the  one  he  made  to  Mrs.  Clemm,  viz. :  that  Poe  con 
tinued  calling  for  one  "Reynolds,"  and  was  in  violent 
delirium  till  the  end,  and  that,  as  he  died,  he  exclaimed; 


POE:  A  PSYCHOPATHIC  STUDY      133 

"Lord  help  my  poor  soul."  It  is  not  certain  that  he  said 
this,  for  Poe  was  not  a  praying  man;  yet  Dr.  Moran 
did,  as  all  good  physicians  should  do — fit  into  the  mouth 
of  the  dying  man  something  that  might  comfort  the 
poor  mother.  His  later  description  of  the  dying  scene  was 
for  a  larger  audience. 

In  this  memoir  Dr.  Moran  insists  that  Poe  was  in  the 
hospital  only  sixteen  hours  before  his  death.  In  referring  to 
this  matter,  he  says : 

A  certain  biographer  has  recently  written  that  'Poe  was  four  days 
in  a  fit  of  delirium  before  he  died,'  and  his  cousin,  Neilson  Poe,  is  re 
ported  by  this  same  writer  to  have  said  that  he,  Judge  Poe,  called  to 
see  him,  but  he  was  in  such  wild  delirium  that  admission  was  re 
fused;  that  he  sent  changes  of  linen,  etc.,  to  add  to  his  comfort.  I  take 
this  opportunity  to  assert  that  the  statements  are  utterly  untrue  and 
without  the  slightest  foundation. 

In  the  letter  written  Mrs.  Clemm  immediately  following 
Poe's  death,  Dr.  Moran  wrote : 

When  I  returned  I  found  the  patient  in  a  violent  delirium,  resist 
ing  the  effort  of  two  nurses  to  keep  him  in  bed.  This  state  continued 
until  Saturday  evening  (he  was  admitted  on  Wednesday)  when  he 
commenced  calling  for  one  'Reynolds'  which  he  did  all  through  the 
night  until  three  on  Sunday  morning. 

It  is  not  probable,  had  Moran's  second  statement  been 
made  thirty-six  years  earlier,  that  it  would  have  entirely 
vindicated  Poe,  as  the  doctor  hoped ;  it  certainly  would  not 
have  so  severely  reflected  on  the  memory  of  Dr.  Moran. 

The  only  medical  importance  the  description  possesses 
is  that  the  symptoms  accompanying  death  to  a  certain 
extent  elucidate  the  facts  of  causation;  the  first  descrip 
tion  of  Dr.  Moran  strongly  bears  out  the  theory  that  Poe 
died  of  an  organically  diseased  brain  complicated  by  an 
intense  meningeal  congestion. 

I  agree  with  Moran  that  Poe  did  not  die  of  alcoholism, 
nor  was  his  death  that  of  a  drunkard ;  yet  it  is  entirely  pos 
sible  that  alcohol  was  the  exciting  cause.  It  is  certain  that 


134       POE:  A  PSYCHOPATHIC  STUDY 

meningeal  irritation,  due  to  brain  congestion  or  inflamma 
tion — Moran  seems  to  have  kept  no  record  as  to  whether 
or  not  there  was  fever — was  the  direct  cause  of  Poe's  death. 

Moran  was  probably  mistaken  in  his  statement  that 
Dr.  Monkur's  diagnosis  was  an  "inflammation  affecting  the 
encephalon — a  sensitive  and  delicate  membrane  of  the 
brain."  Such  a  definition  would  be  in  serious  conflict  with 
the  authorities  we  now  recognize.  Probably  the  word  that 
Moran  intended  to  use  was  meninges.  If  this  be  the  fact 
Dr.  Monkur  was  correct. 

Apparently  it  happened  in  the  case  of  Poe,  as  in  many 
similar  cases,  that  there  was  a  low  grade  of  inflammation 
affecting  the  meninges,  which,  in  all  probability,  had  pene 
trated  and  partly  disorganized  the  brain-matter,  composed 
as  it  is  of  brain  cells  and  their  connecting  processes.  This 
was  of  long  standing,  and,  even  without  the  use  of  stimu 
lants,  might  occasionally  give  evidence  of  brain  irritation. 
Alcohol,  in  the  slightest  quantity,  can  set  up  serious 
irritation — occasionally  active  inflammation — among  such 
morbid  and  diseased  brain  cells.  Whether  or  not  in  this 
particular  case  alcohol  precipitated  inflammation  or  in 
tense  congestion  is  not  essential  for  the  diagnosis. 

There  can  be  no  reasonable  doubt  that  the  long  contin 
ued  use  of  alcohol  by  one  so  predisposed,  would  produce 
this  organic  change.  A  simple  debauch,  with  a  brain  not 
alcoholically  diseased,  rarely  produces  a  fatal  delirium. 

Poe's  alcoholic  excesses  were  something  for  which  he  was 
not  responsible.  His  drinking  was  the  result  of  hereditary 
compulsion.  It  was  as  much  a  part  of  him  as  was  his  pecu 
liar  intellect.  If  we  praise  him  for  his  genius,  and  if  his 
work  has  made  for  the  world's  happiness,  as  long  as  we 
cannot  forget  the  evil  thing  that  obsessed  him  and  for 
which  he  paid  the  penalty,  his  faults  should  be  condoned 
in  the  clear  understanding  that  he  cannot  be  held  respon 
sible  for  the  transmitted  neurosis. 


TO  MY  MOTHER. 


BECAUSE  I  feel  that,  in  the  Heavens  above, 

The  angels,  whispering  to  one  another, 
Can  find,  among  their  burning  terms  of  love, 

None  so  devotional  as  that  of  "  Mother," 
Therefore  by  that  dear  name  I  long  have  called  you — 

You  who  are  more  than  mother  unto  me, 
And  fill  my  heart  of  hearts,  where  Death  installed  you 

In  setting  my  Virginia's  spirit  free. 
My  mother — my  own  mother,  who  died  early, 

Was  but  the  mother  of  myself;  but  you 
Are  mother  to  the  one  I  loved  so  dearly, 

And  thus  are  dearer  than  the  mother  I  knew 
By  that  infinity  with  which  my  wife 

Was  dearer  to  my  soul  than  its  soul-life. 


POE:  A  PSYCHOPATHIC  STUDY       135 

Unfortunately,  it  happens  that  this  monograph  deals 
only  with  the  darker  side  of  Poe's  life.  I  have  confined 
myself  to  what  occurred  during  his  periods  of  irresponsi 
bility.  I  have  not  attempted  to  give  an  account  of  his  life 
further  than  this  requirement  demanded. 

I  can  not  close  this  study  without  some  reference  to 
Poe,  the  man.  I,  too,  would  have  wished  to  write  his 
name  in  capitals.  No  figure  in  all  literary  history — save 
Thackeray  and  Goldsmith — has  so  grown  into  personal 
affection  and  hero-worship. 

Poe  was  essentially  domestic.  He  took  pleasure  only  in 
his  small  family  circle  and,  in  the  hour  in  which  he  was 
overcome  by  his  evil  inheritance,  it  was  his  harbor  of 
refuge.  The  real  love  of  his  life  was  given  to  Mrs.  Clemm, 
his  "Dear  Muddy."  She  was  the  mother  of  the  wife,  whom 
he  cherished  and  nursed,  and  she  is  the  mother-figure  who 
so  heroically  stands  forth  as  the  defender  of  his  home 
and  the  preserver  of  his  very  life : — the  hard-working,  de 
voted  and  ever-faithful  mother.  Our  earliest  record  shows 
that  Poe  had  an  intense  longing  for  this  mother-love. 
Apparently  he  found  in  Mrs.  Clemm  all  the  consideration 
and  consolation  for  which  he  longed,  and  of  which  the  un 
timely  death  of  his  own  mother  had  deprived  him ;  a  love 
that  was  an  absolute  necessity  for  one  of  his  abnormal 
psychology. 

Her  lineaments  show  a  face  characterized  by  gentleness 
and  placidity,  yet  remarkable  for  nobility  of  outline.  Her 
eyes  appear  penetratingly  gentle  and  kind ;  her  letters  be 
speak  much  mental  strength  and  womanly  tenderness, 
while  her  whole  life  was  one  of  such  devotion  to  her  two 
sick  and  doomed  children,  as  to  justify  the  tributes  that 
her  own  friends,  as  well  as  all  of  Poe's  biographers,  paid 
her.  Woodberry,  alone,  has  aspersed  her  memory,  writing : 
"All  unsupported  statements  by  her  are  open  to  doubt." 
He  gives  no  reason  for  this  derogatory  remark. 


136      POE:  A  PSYCHOPATHIC  STUDY 

Willis  says: 

Winter  after  winter,  for  years,  the  most  touching  sight  to  us,  in 
this  whole  city,  has  been  that  tireless  minister  to  genius,  thinly  and  in 
sufficiently  clad,  going  from  office  to  office,  with  a  poem,  or  an  article, 
on  some  literary  subject,  to  sell — sometimes  simply  pleading  in  a 
broken  voice  that  he  was  ill,  and  begging  for  him — mentioning  nothing 
but  'that  he  was  ill,'  whatever  might  be  the  reason  for  his  writing 
nothing;  and  never,  amid  all  her  tears  and  recitals  of  distress  suffering 
one  syllable  to  escape  her  lips  that  could  convey  a  doubt  of  him,  or 
a  complaint,  or  a  lessening  of  pride  in  his  genius  and  good  intentions. 
Her  daughter  died,  a  year  and  a  half  since,  but  she  did  not  desert 
him.  She  continued  his  ministering  angel, — living  with  him,  caring  for 
him,  guarding  him  against  exposure,  and,  when  he  was  carried  away 
by  temptation,  amid  grief  and  the  loneliness  of  feeling  unreplied  to, 
and  awoke  from  his  self-abandonment  prostrated  in  destitution  and 
suffering,  begging  for  him  still. 

If  woman's  devotion,  born  with  a  first  love,  and  fed  with  human 
passion,  hallow  its  object,  as  it  is  allowed  to  do,  what  does  not  a  devo 
tion  like  this — pure,  disinterested,  and  holy  as  the  watch  of  an  invis 
ible  spirit — say  for  him  who  inspired  it? 

Mrs.  Clemm,  in  a  letter  written  to  Mrs.  Whitman  just 
after  Poe's  departure  from  Fordham,  on  his  last  trip  to 
Richmond,  throws  further  light  on  the  relations  existing 
between  them: 

Eddy  has  been  gone  ten  days,  and  I  have  not  heard  one  word  from 
him.  Do  you  wonder  that  I  am  distracted?  I  fear  everything.  .  .  .  Oh, 
if  any  evil  has  befallen  him,  what  can  comfort  me?  The  day  after  he 
left  New  York,  I  left  Mrs.  Lewis  and  started  for  home.  I  called  on  a  rich 
friend  who  had  made  many  promises,  but  never  knew  our  situation.  I 
frankly  told  her.  She  proposed  to  me  to  leave  Eddy,  saying  he  might 
very  well  do  for  himself.  .  .  .  Any  one  to  propose  to  me  to  leave  my 
Eddy — what  a  cruel  insult !  No  one  to  console  and  comfort  him  but 
me ;  no  one  to  nurse  him  and  take  care  of  him  when  he  is  sick  and  help 
less!  Can  I  ever  forget  that  dear  sweet  face,  so  tranquil,  so  pale,  and 
those  dear  eyes  looking  at  me  so  sadly,  while  she  said,  'Darling, 
Muddy,  you  will  console  and  take  care  of  my  poor  Eddy — you  will 
never,  never  leave  him?  Promise  me,  my  dear  Muddy,  and  then  I  can 
die  in  peace.'  And  /  did  promise.  And  when  I  meet  her  in  heaven,  I  can 
say,  "I  have  kept  my  promise,  my  darling.' 


POE:  A  PSYCHOPATHIC  STUDY      137 

Surely  she  did  keep  it,  and  wherever  Aidenn  may  be, 
there  will  these  three  be  found — and  together. 

For  this  sacrificing  and  faithful  woman  all  who  knew  her 
had  only  words  of  love  and  praise — save  only  one,  the 
Preacher  who  wrote  to  Mrs.  Whitman : 

I  cannot  refrain  from  begging  you  to  be  very  careful  what  you  say 
or  write  to  Mrs.  Clemm,  who  is  not  your  friend,  nor  anybody's  friend, 
and  who  has  no  element  of  goodness  or  kindness  in  her  nature,  but 
whose  heart  and  understanding  are  full  of  malice  and  wickedness.  I 
confide  in  you  these  sentences  for  your  own  sake  only,  for  Mrs.  C.  ap 
pears  to  be  a  very  warm  friend  to  me.  Pray  destroy  this  note,  and  at 
least  act  cautiously,  till  I  may  justify  it  in  a  conversation  with  you. 

I  am  yours  very  sincerely, 

Rufus  W.  Griswold. 

At  one  time  she  had  extorted  admiration  even  from 
Griswold,  who  paid  her  this  tribute : 

When  once  he  sent  for  me  to  visit  him,  during  a  period  of  illness 
caused  by  protracted  and  anxious  watching  at  the  side  of  his  sick  wife, 
I  was  impressed  by  the  singular  neatness  and  the  air  of  refinement  in 
his  home.  It  was  in  a  small  house,  in  one  of  the  pleasant  and  silent 
neighborhoods  far  from  the  center  of  the  town,  and  though  slightly 
and  cheaply  furnished  everything  in  it  was  so  tasteful  and  so  fitly  dis 
posed  that  it  seemed  altogether  suitable  for  a  man  of  genius.  For  this 
and  for  most  of  the  comforts  he  enjoyed,  in  his  brightest  as  in  his 
darkest  years,  he  was  chiefly  indebted  to  his  mother-in-law,  who  loved 
him  with  the  more  than  maternal  devotion  and  constancy. 

In  the  end,  a  man  will  be  judged  by  his  home  relations 
and  his  everyday  home  life,  rather  than  by  the  armor  in 
which  he  encases  himself  for  the  fight  in  his  "Battle  of 
Life."  It  occasionally  happens  that  the  polished  exterior 
which  we  present  to  the  world  and  the  immaculate  habili 
ments  in  which  we  exhibit  ourselves  conceal  a  gnawing 
cancer  which  destroys  the  very  vitals  and  uproots  all  fam 
ily  happiness.  In  his  solitary  life  Poe  apparently  shut  out 
the  world  from  his  fireside,  yet  we  have  the  testimony  of 
occasional  visitors  as  to  the  charm  of  his  home  life : 


138       POE:  A  PSYCHOPATHIC  STUDY 

On  this  occasion  I  was  introduced  to  the  young  wife  of  the  poet, 
and  to  the  mother,  then  more  than  sixty  years  of  age.  She  was  a  tall, 
dignified  old  lady,  with  most  ladylike  manners,  and  her  black  dress, 
though  old  and  much  worn,  looked  really  elegant  on  her.  She  wore  a 
widow's  cap,  of  the  genuine  pattern,  and  it  suited  exquisitely  with  her 
snow-white  hair.  Her  features  were  large,  and  corresponded  with  her 
stature,  and  it  seemed  strange  how  such  a  stalwart  and  queenly 
woman  could  be  the  mother  of  her  petite  daughter.  Mrs.  Poe  looked 
very  young ;  she  had  large  black  eyes,  and  a  pearly  whiteness  of  skin 
which  was  a  perfect  pallor.  Her  pale  face,  her  brilliant  eyes,  and  her 
raven  hair  gave  her  an  unearthly  look.  One  felt  that  she  was  almost  a 
disrobed  spirit,  and  when  she  coughed  it  was  made  certain  that  she 
was  passing  away.  The  mother  seemed  hale  and  strong,  and  appeared 
to  be  almost  a  sort  of  universal  Providence  to  her  strange  children. 

The  cottage  had  an  air  of  gentility  and  taste  that  must  have  been 
lent  it  by  the  presence  of  its  inmates.  So  neat,  so  poor,  so  unfurnished 
and  yet  so  charming  a  dwelling  I  never  saw.  The  floor  of  the  kitchen 
was  white  as  wheaten  flour.  A  table,  a  chair,  and  a  little  stove  that  it 
contained  seemed  to  furnish  it  completely.  The  sitting-room  floor  was 
laid  with  check  matting;  four  chairs,  a  light  stand,  and  a  hanging  book 
shelf  completed  the  furniture.  There  were  pretty  presentation  copies 
of  books  on  the  little  shelves,  and  the  Brownings  had  posts  of  honor  on 
the  stand.  With  quiet  exultation  Poe  drew  from  his  side-pocket  a 
letter  he  had  recently  received  from  Elizabeth  Barret  Browning.  He 
read  it  to  us. 

What  an  association-book  to  possess !  Was  it,  also,  in  the 
Griswold  sale? 

Again  Mrs.  Clemm  writes : 

I  always  sat  up  with  him  when  he  was  writing,  and  gave  him  a  cup 
of  hot  coffee  every  hour  or  two.  At  home  he  was  simple  and  affection 
ate  as  a  child,  and  during  all  the  years  he  lived  with  me  I  do  not 
remember  a  single  night  that  he  failed  to  come  and  kiss  his  'Mother,' 
before  going  to  bed. 

Willis  thus  judges  him  in  the  memoir  he  published  in  the 
first  volume  of  Poe's  works : 

Some  four  or  five  years  since,  when  editing  a  daily  paper  in  this 
City,  Mr.  Poe  was  employed  by  us,  for  several  months,  as  critic  and 
sub-editor.  This  was  our  first  personal  acquaintance  with  him.  He 
resided  with  his  wife  and  mother  at  Fordham,  a  few  miles  out  of  town, 


POE:  A  PSYCHOPATHIC  STUDY       139 

but  was  at  his  desk  in  the  office,  from  nine  in  the  morning  till  the 
evening  paper  went  to  press.  With  the  highest  admiration  for  his 
genius,  and  a  willingness  to  let  it  atone  for  more  than  ordinary  irregu 
larity,  we  were  led  by  common  report  to  expect  a  very  capricious 
attention  to  his  duties,  and  occasionally  a  scene  of  violence  and  dif 
ficulty.  Time  went  on,  however,  and  he  was  invariably  punctual  and 
industrious.  With  his  pale,  beautiful  and  intellectual  face,  as  a  re 
minder  of  what  genius  was  in  him,  it  was  impossible,  of  course,  not  to 
treat  him  always  with  deferential  courtesy,  and,  to  our  occasional 
request  that  he  would  not  probe  too  deep  into  a  criticism,  or  that  he 
would  erase  a  passage  colored  too  highly  with  his  resentments  against 
society  or  mankind,  he  readily  and  courteously  assented — far  more 
yielding  than  most  men,  we  thought,  on  points  so  excusably  sensitive. 
With  the  prospect  of  taking  the  lead  in  another  periodical,  he,  at 
last,  voluntarily  gave  up  his  employment  with  us,  and,  through  all 
this  considerable  period,  we  had  seen  none  but  one  presentment  of  the 
man — a  quiet,  patient,  industrious,  and  most  gentlemanly  person, 
commanding  the  utmost  respect  and  good  feeling  by  his  unvarying 
deportment  and  ability. 

Woodberry  quotes  Willis  as  to  his  later  association  with 
Poe: 

He  frequently  called  on  us  afterwards  at  our  place  of  business,  and 
we  met  him  often  in  the  street, — invariably  the  same  sad-mannered, 
winning,  and  refined  gentleman  such  as  we  had  always  known  him, 
and  found  in  his  business  letters — friendly  notes — sufficient  evidence 
of  the  very  qualities  denied  to  Mr.  Poe, — humility,  willingness  to  per 
severe,  belief  in  another's  kindness,  and  capability  of  cordial  and 
grateful  friendship!  Such  he  assuredly  was  when  sane.  Such  only 
he  has  invariably  seemed  to  us,  in  all  we  personally  know  of  him, 
through  a  friendship  of  five  or  six  years.  And  so  much  easier  is  it  to 
believe  what  we  have  seen  and  known,  than  what  we  hear  of  only,  that 
we  remember  him  but  with  admiration  and  respect. 

Another  associate,  eyen  more  competent  to  judge  Poe, 
was  Graham.  He  thus  relates  his  own  experience : 

I  shall  never  forget  how  solicitous  of  the  happiness  of  his  wife  and 
mother-in-law  he  was  whilst  one  of  the  editors  of  'Graham's  Maga 
zine'  ;  his  whole  effort  seemed  to  be  to  procure  the  comfort  and  welfare 
of  his  home.  Except  for  their  happiness,  and  the  natural  ambition  of 
having  a  magazine  of  his  own,  I  never  heard  him  deplore  the  want  of 


140      POE:  A  PSYCHOPATHIC  STUDY 

wealth.  The  truth  is,  he  cared  little  for  money,  and  knew  less  of  its 
value,  for  he  seemed  to  have  no  personal  expenses.  What  he  received 
from  me,  in  regular  monthly  installments,  went  directly  into  the 
hands  of  his  mother-in-law  for  family  comforts,  and  twice  only  I  re 
member  his  purchasing  some  rather  expensive  luxuries  for  his  house, 
and  then  he  was  nervous  to  the  degree  of  misery  until  he  had,  by 
extra  articles,  covered  what  he  considered  an  imprudent  indebtedness. 
His  love  for  his  wife  was  a  sort  of  rapturous  worship  of  the  spirit  of 
beauty  which  he  felt  was  fading  before  his  eyes.  I  have  seen  him  hov 
ering  around  her  when  she  was  ill,  with  all  the  fond  fear  and  the  tender 
anxiety  of  a  mother  for  her  first-born,  her  slightest  cough  causing  in 
him  a  shudder,  a  heart-chill  that  was  visible.  I  rode  out,  one  summer 
evening  with  them,  and  the  remembrance  of  his  watchful  eyes  eagerly 
bent  on  the  slightest  change  of  hue  in  that  loved  face  haunts  me 
yet  as  the  memory  of  a  sad  strain.  It  was  the  hourly  anticipation  of 
her  loss  that  made  him  a  sad  and  thoughtful  man,  and  lent  a  mourn 
ful  melody  to  his  undying  song. 

There  was  a  well-known  "bibliopolist,"  who  was  a  fellow 
guest  with  Poe  for  several  months  during  his  first  residence 
in  New  York.  His  name  was  Cowans,  and  Harrison  quotes 
him  as  follows: 

For  eight  months  or  more  'one  house  contained  us,  as  one  table 
fed.'  During  this  time  I  saw  much  of  him  and  had  an  opportunity  of 
conversing  with  him  often,  and  I  must  say  that  I  never  saw  him  the 
least  affected  by  liquor,  nor  even  descend  to  any  known  vice,  while  he 
was  one  of  the  most  courteous,  gentlemanly  and  intelligent  com 
panions  I  have  met  with  during  my  journeyings  and  haltings  through 
divers  divisions  of  the  globe. 

Mrs.  Clemm  bears  the  following  testimony : 

Eddie  was  domestic  in  all  his  habits,  seldom  leaving  home  for  an 
hour  unless  his  darling  Virginia,  or  myself,  were  with  him.  He  was 
truly  an  affectionate,  kind  husband,  and  a  devoted  son  to  me.  He  was 
impulsive,  generous,  affectionate,  and  noble.  His  tastes  were  very 
simple,  and  his  admiration  for  all  that  was  good  and  beautiful  was 
very  great.  We  three  lived  for  each  other. 

And  yet  Griswold,  in  the  preface  to  Poe's  collected 
works  wrote : 

There  seemed  to  him  no  moral  susceptibility;  and,  what  was  more 
remarkable  in  a  proud  nature,  little  or  nothing  of  the  true  point  of 


POE:  A  PSYCHOPATHIC  STUDY      141 

honor.  He  had,  to  a  morbid  excess,  that  desire  to  rise  which  is  vulgarly 
called  ambition,  but  no  wish  for  the  esteem  or  the  love  of  his  species ; 
only  the  hard  wish  to  succeed — not  shine,  not  serve — succeed,  that  he 
might  have  the  right  to  despise  the  world  which  galled  his  self- 
conceit. 

We  have,  finally,  Poe's  own  estimate  of  himself,  written 
to  Mrs.  Whitman. 

With  the  exception  of  occasional  follies  and  excesses  which  I  bit 
terly  lament  but  to  which  I  have  been  driven  by  intolerable  sorrow, 
and  which  are  hourly  committed  by  others  without  attracting  any 
notice  whatever — I  can  call  to  mind  no  act  of  my  life  which  would 
bring  a  blush  to  my  cheeks — or  to  yours. 

In  a  letter  to  Willis,  written  after  Poe's  death,  in  answer 
to  the  abuse  Griswold  had  heaped  upon  Poe  in  his  memoir, 
Graham  made  a  long  and  full  defense,  not  only  as  to  his 
business  relations  with  Poe,  but  he  also  discussed  the  per 
sonal  relations  that  had  existed,  both  as  to  Griswold  and 
to  the  world  at  large. 

You  have  spoken  with  so  much  truth  and  delicacy  of  the  deceased, 
and,  with  the  magical  touch  of  genius,  have  called  so  warmly  up  be 
fore  me  the  memory  of  our  lost  friend  as  you  and  I  both  seemed  to 
have  known  him,  that  I  feel  warranted  in  addressing  to  you  the  few 
plain  words  I  have  to  say  in  defense  of  his  character  as  set  down  by 
Mr.  Griswold. 

Although  the  article,  it  seems,  appeared  in  the  'New  York  Tri 
bune,'  it  met  my  eye  for  the  first  time  in  the  volume  before  me.  I  now 
purpose  to  take  exception  to  it  in  the  most  public  manner.  I  knew 
Mr.  Poe  well,  far  better  than  Mr.  Griswold ;  and  by  the  memory  of  old 
times,  when  he  was  editor  of  'Graham's,'  I  pronounce  this  exceedingly 
ill-timed  and  unappreciative  estimate  of  the  character  of  our  lost 
friend,  unfair  and  untrue.  It  is  Mr.  Poe  as  seen  by  the  writer  while 
laboring  under  a  fit  of  the  nightmare,  but  so  dark  a  picture  has  no  re 
semblance  to  the  living  man.  Accompanying  these  beautiful  volumes 
it  is  an  immortal  infamy,  the  death's  head  over  the  entrance  to  the 
garden  of  beauty,  a  horror  that  clings  to  the  brow  of  morning,  whis 
pering  of  murder.  It  haunts  the  memory  through  every  page  of  his 
writings,  leaving  upon  the  heart  a  sensation  of  gloom,  a  feeling  almost 
of  terror.  The  only  relief  we  feel  is  in  knowing  that  it  is  not  true,  that 
it  is  a  fancy  sketch  of  a  perverted,  jaundiced  vision.  The  man  who 


142      POE:  A  PSYCHOPATHIC  STUDY 

could  deliberately  say  of  Edgar  Allan  Poe,  in  a  notice  of  his  life  and 
writings  prefacing  volumes  which  were  to  become  a  priceless  souvenir 
to  all  who  loved  him,  that  his  death  might  startle  many,  'but  that  few 
would  be  grieved  by  it,'  and  blast  the  whole  reputation  of  the  man  by 
such  a  paragraph  as  follows,  is  a  judge  dishonored.  He  is  not  Mr.  Poe's 
peer,  and  I  challenge  him  before  the  country  even  as  a  juror  in  the 
case. 

In  referring  to  Griswold's  statement  that  "you  could  not 
contradict  him,  but  you  raised  his  quick  choler:  you  could  not 
speak  of  wealth  but  his  cheek  paled  with  gnawing  envy" 
Graham,  for  Poe's  friends,  answered : 

This  is  dastardly,  and,  what  is  worse,  it  is  false.  It  is  very  adroitly 
done,  with  phrases  very  well  turned,  and  with  gleams  of  truth  shining 
out  from  a  setting  so  dusky,  as  to  look  devilish.  Mr.  Griswold  does  not 
feel  the  worth  of  the  man  he  has  undervalued ;  he  had  no  sympathy  in 
common  with  him,  and  has  allowed  old  prejudices  and  old  enmities  to 
steal,  insensibly  perhaps,  into  the  coloring  of  his  picture.  They  were 
for  years  totally  uncongenial,  if  not  enemies,  and  during  that  period 
Mr.  Poe,  in  a  scathing  lecture  upon  the  "Poets  of  America,"  gave 
Mr.  Griswold  some  raps  over  the  knuckles  of  force  sufficient  to  be  re 
membered.  He  had,  too,  in  the  exercise  of  his  functions  as  a  critic,  put 
to  death  summarily  the  literary  reputation  of  some  of  Mr.  Griswold's 
best  friends ;  and  their  ghosts  cried  in  vain  for  him  to  avenge  them  dur 
ing  Poe's  life-time,  and  it  almost  seems  as  if  the  present  hacking  at  the 
cold  remains  of  him  who  struck  them  down,  is  a  sort  of  compensation 
for  duty  long  delayed,  for  reprisal  long  desired,  but  deferred.  But 
without  this,  the  opportunities  afforded  Mr.  Griswold  to  estimate  the 
character  of  Poe  occurred,  in  the  main,  after  his  stability  had  been 
wrecked,  his  whole  nature  in  a  degree  changed  and  with  all  his  prej 
udices  aroused  and  active.  Nor  do  I  consider  Mr.  Griswold  competent, 
with  all  the  opportunities  he  may  have  cultivated  or  acquired,  to  act  as 
his  judge,  to  dissect  that  subtle  and  singularly  fine  intellect,  to  probe 
the  motives  and  weigh  the  actions  of  that  proud  heart.  .  .  .  Among 
the  true  friends  of  Poe  in  this  city — and  he  had  some  such  here — there 
are  those,  I  am  sure,  that  he  did  not  class  among  villains;  nor  do  they 
feel  easy  when  they  see  their  old  friend  dressed  out,  in  his  grave,  in  the 
habiliments  of  a  scoundrel.  There  is  something  to  them,  in  this  mode 
of  procedure  on  the  part  of  the  literary  executor  that  does  not  chime  in 
with  their  notion  'of  the  true  point  of  honor.' 


POE:  A  PSYCHOPATHIC  STUDY       143 

This  article  is  too  long  to  quote  in  its  entirety.  It  goes 
into  business  details  proving  that  in  all  Poe's  dealings  with 
Graham  he  was  punctiliously  honorable,  and  it  defends 
the  moral  character  of  Poe,  disproving  many  of  Griswold's 
charges.  It  contains  so  many  details  elsewhere  discussed 
that  I  will  only  quote  the  conclusion : 

They  had  all  of  them  looked  upon  our  departed  friend  as  singu 
larly  indifferent  to  wealth  for  its  own  sake,  but  as  very  positive  in  his 
opinions  that  the  scale  of  social  merit  was  not  of  the  highest;  that 
mind,  somehow,  was  apt  to  be  left  out  of  the  estimate  altogether ;  and, 
partaking  somewhat  of  his  free  way  of  thinking,  his  friends  are 
startled  to  find  they  have  entertained  very  unamiable  convictions.  As 
to  his  'quick-choler'  when  he  was  contradicted,  it  depended  a  good 
deal  on  the  party  denying,  as  well  as  upon  the  subject  discussed.  He 
was  quick,  it  is  true,  to  perceive  mere  quacks  in  literature,  and  some 
what  apt  to  be  hasty,  when  pestered  by  them ;  but,  upon  most  other 
questions  his  natural  amiability  was  not  easily  disturbed.  .  .  .  His 
'astonishing  natural  advantages'  had  been  very  assiduously  cultivated ; 
his  'daring  spirit'  was  the  anointed  genius;  his  self-confidence  the 
proud  conviction  of  both ;  and  it  was  with  something  of  a  lofty  scorn 
that  he  attacked,  as  well  as  repelled,  the  crammed  scholar  of  an  hour, 
who  attempted  to  palm  upon  him  the  ill-digested  learning.  Literature 
with  him  was  religion;  and  he,  its  high-priest,  with  a  whip  of  scor 
pions,  scourged  the  moneychangers  from  the  temple.  In  all  else,  he  had 
the  docility  and  kind-heartedness  of  a  child.  No  man  was  more  quickly 
touched  by  a  kindness,  none  more  prompt  to  return  for  an  injury.  For 
three  or  four  years  I  knew  him  intimately,  and  for  eighteen  months 
saw  him  almost  daily,  much  of  the  time  writing  or  conversing  at  the 
same  desk,  knowing  all  his  hopes,  his  fears,  and  little  annoyances  of 
life,  as  well  as  his  high-hearted  struggle  with  adverse  fate;  yet  he  was 
always  the  same  polished  gentleman,  the  quiet,  unobtrusive,  thought 
ful  scholar,  the  devoted  husband,  frugal  in  his  personal  expenses, 
punctual  and  unwearied  in  his  industry,  and  the  soul  of  honor  in  all  his 
transactions.  This,  of  course,  was  in  his  better  days,  and  by  them  we 
judge  the  man.  But  even  after  his  habits  had  changed,  there  was  no 
literary  man  to  whom  I  would  more  readily  advance  money  for  labor 
to  be  done.  .  .  .  His  pen  was  regulated  by  the  highest  sense  of  duty. 
By  a  keen  analysis  he  separated  and  studied  each  piece  which  the 
skillful  mechanist  had  put  together.  No  part,  however  insignificant,  or 


144       POE:  A  PSYCHOPATHIC  STUDY 

apparently  unimportant,  escaped  the  rigid  and  patient  scrutiny  of  his 
sagacious  mind. 

The  unfitted  joint  proved  the  bungler — the  slightest  blemish  was  a 
palpable  fraud.  He  was  the  scrutinizing  lapidary  who  detected  and  ex 
posed  the  slightest  flaw  in  diamonds.  The  gem  of  first  water  shone  the 
brighter  for  the  truthful  setting  of  his  calm  praise.  He  had  the  finest 
touch  of  soul  for  beauty — a  delicate  and  hearty  appreciation  of  worth. 
If  his  praise  appeared  tardy,  it  was  of  priceless  value  when  given.  It 
was  true  as  well  as  sincere.  It  was  the  stroke  of  honor  that  at  once 
knighted  the  receiver.  It  was  in  the  world  of  mind  that  he  was  king; 
and,  with  fierce  audacity,  he  felt  and  proclaimed  himself  autocrat.  As 
critic  he  was  despotic,  supreme.  Yet  no  man  with  more  readiness 
would  soften  a  harsh  expression  at  the  request  of  a  friend,  or  if  he  him 
self  felt  that  he  had  infused  too  great  a  degree  of  bitterness  into  his 
article,  none  would  more  readily  soften  it  down,  after  it  was  in  type — 
though  still  maintaining  the  justness  of  his  critical  views.  I  do  not  be 
lieve  that  he  wrote  to  give  pain;  but  in  combatting  what  he  conceived 
to  be  error,  he  used  the  strongest  word  that  presented  itself,  even  in 
conversation.  He  labored  not  so  much  to  reform  as  to  exterminate 
error,  and  thought  the  shortest  process  was  to  pull  it  up  by  the  roots. 

Though  this  open  letter  was  published  in  "Graham's 
Magazine"  immediately  following  Griswold's  issue  of  the 
memoir,  it  has  not  been  disseminated,  and  has  not  had  the 
publicity  of  Griswold's  scurrilous  article.  It  was  not  a  part 
of  the  "Works"  and  did  not  circulate  so  extensively.  Har 
rison  only  gives  it  in  his  appendix,  while  Woodberry  fails 
to  quote  it  in  extenso,  omitting  all  that  reflects  on  Griswold 
and,  in  no  sense,  using  it  as  a  defense  of  Poe. 

Poe  was  a  Solitary.  Apparently  there  was  no  one,  outside 
his  family  group,  with  whom  at  any  time  he  became 
intimate.  In  some  of  his  letters  he  seems  to  long  for  friend 
ship  and,  especially  in  one  that  he  wrote  to  Lowell,  he  ex 
pressed  himself  with  unusual  freedom,  and  without  that 
veil  of  mental  reserve  through  which  he  allowed  the  world 
to  view  and  misjudge  him : 

I  can  feel  for  the  'constitutional  indolence'  of  which  you  complain 
— for  it  is  one  of  my  own  besetting  sins.  I  am  excessively  slothful  and 


POE:  A  PSYCHOPATHIC  STUDY      145 

wonderfully  industrious — by  fits.  There  are  epochs  when  any  kind  of 
mental  exertion  is  torture  and  when  nothing  yields  me  pleasure  but 
solitary  communion  'with  the  mountains  and  the  woods' — the  'altars' 
of  Byron.  I  have  thus  rambled  and  dreamed  away  whole  months,  and 
awake,  at  last,  to  a  sort  of  mania  of  composition. 

I  am  not  ambitious,  except  negatively.  I  now  and  then  feel  stirred 
up  to  excel  a  fool,  merely  because  I  hate  to  let  a  fool  imagine  he  can 
excel  me. 

I  live  continually  in  a  reverie  of  the  future;  I  have  no  faith  in 
human  perfectability. 

I  think  that  human  exertion  will  have  no  appreciable  effect  on 
humanity.  Man  is  now  only  more  active — not  more  happy — not  more 
wise,  than  he  was  6000  years  ago.  .  .  .  You  speak  of  'an  estimate  of 
my  life,'  and  from  what  I  have  already  said,  you  will  see  that  I  have 
none  to  give. 

I  have  been  too  conscious  of  the  mutability  and  evanescence  of 
temporal  things  to  give  any  continuous  effort  to  anything — to  be  con 
sistent  in  anything. 

My  life  has  been  a  whim — an  impulse — a  passion — a  longing  for 
solitude — a  scorn  of  all  things  present  in  an  earnest  desire  for  the 
future. 

I  am  profoundly  excited  by  music  and  by  some  poems — those  of 
Tennyson  especially — whom  with  Keats,  Shelley,  Coleridge  occasion 
ally,  and  a  few  others  of  like  thought  and  expression,  I  regard  as  the 
sole  poets. 

It  is  remarkable,  living  at  the  time  Byron's  poems  cre 
ated  so  deep  an  impression — and  possibly  this  is  the  greatest 
proof  of  his  genius  for  criticism  and  the  best  evidence  that 
he  was  not  influenced  by,  nor  in  any  sense  an  imitator — 
that  he  never  refers  to  Byron  as  a  great  poet,  simply  ignor 
ing  him  further  than  to  remark  incidentally  that  Byron 
"lacked  artistic  instinct."  Yet  Woodberry  says  that  in  his 
poetry  Poe  was  strongly  "under  Byron's  influence." 

Poe's  was  a  royal  mentality,  and  it  is  certain  that,  in  the 
society  and  with  the  individuals  among  whom  he  moved, 
he  fully  recognized  the  fact  that  he  was  without  a  peer. 
Who  else  would  dare  write:  "Mr.  Bryant  is  not  all  fool. 
Mr.  Willis  is  not  quite  an  ass.  Mr.  Longfellow  will  steal,  but, 


146      POE:  A  PSYCHOPATHIC  STUDY 

perhaps  he  cannot  help  it,  and  it  must  not  be  denied  that 
nil  tetegit  quod  non  ornavit." 

To  him  who  wears  the  crown,  possibly  such  language  is 
permissible.  Yet  it  is  unfortunate  that  Poe's  life  could  not 
have  been  enriched  by  a  few  of  those  literary  friendships 
that  have  so  glorified  the  lives  of  such  men  as  Johnson, 
Thackeray,  Goldsmith  and  Lamb,  and  of  many  others 
whose  names  were  equally  noted  for  their  literary  friend 
ships  and  of  the  things  they  wrote. 

There  was  one  to  whom  he  warmed  and,  under  more 
propitious  circumstances,  there  might  have  ripened  such 
mutual  regard  and  kindly  appreciation  as  to  have  indis- 
solubly  linked  their  names — no  matter  how  vast  the  lit 
erary  gap  which  separated  them. 

Although  Poe's  letters  to  Lowell  are  marked  by  an  un 
usual  and  personal  note  of  genuine  friendship,  and  Lowell 
apparently  reciprocated,  they  never  met  except  on  the  one 
and  unfortunate  occasion,  the  circumstances  of  which 
were  such  as  to  cause  a  serious  and  permanent  alienation. 
Yet  their  correspondence  seemed  to  justify  the  olive 
branch  Poe  held  out. 

I  hope  ere  long  to  have  the  pleasure  of  conversing  with  you  per 
sonally.  There  is  no  man  living  with  whom  I  have  so  much  desire  to 
become  acquainted.  How  much  I  would  like  to  interchange  opinions 
with  you  on  poems  and  poets  in  general !  I  fancy  that  we  should  agree, 
usually,  in  results,  while  differing  frequently  about  principles.  The  day 
may  come  when  we  can  discuss  everything  at  leisure  and  in  person. 

There  is  every  reason  to  believe  that,  had  Lowell  recip 
rocated,  a  great  literary  friendship  might  have  resulted,  in 
spite  of  the  fact  that  the  two  men  differed  as  greatly  in 
their  literary  capacities  as  they  did  in  their  material 
fortunes. 

Who  of  the  present  generation  would  have  connected 
the  name  of  Poe  the  maligned — the  man  whose  name  be 
came  a  synonym  for  all  that  genius  can  make  repulsive, 


POE:  A  PSYCHOPATHIC  STUDY      147 

who  "succeeded  in  attracting  and  combining  in  his  own 
person  all  the  floating  vices  which  genius  had  hitherto 
shown  itself  capable  of  grasping  in  its  widest  and  most 
eccentric  orbit;"  "a  man  who  became  an  object  of  charity" ; 
"the  delirious  drunken  pauper  of  a  common  hospital"; 
whose  memory  and  name  became  a  byword ;  in  whose  own 
works  there  was  embedded  by  his  unmoral  biographer  the 
story  of  a  "career  full  of  instruction  and  warning,  as  it  has 
always  been  made  a  portion  of  the  penalty  of  wrong  that 
its  anatomy  should  be  displayed  for  the  common  study 
and  advantage";  pilloried  in  his  life  and  crucified  in  his 
death — with  that  of  Lowell  the  Ambassador,  the  Professor 
of  belles-lettres,  the  literary  arbiter  of  the  late  nineteenth 
century,  who  wrote  those  memorable  lines : 

But  the  wind  without  was  bitter  and  sharp 
Of  Sir  Launfal's  gray  hair  it  made  a  harp. 

Poe's  name  will  live  in  spite  of  his  critics  and  of  evil  re 
ports.  He  has  left  works  which  neither  time,  nor  age,  nor 
changing  fashions,  nor  new  standards  can  cast  into  ob 
livion.  They  will  constitute  a  "monument  more  lasting  than 
brass,"  and  with  Horace  he  can  sing: 

Quod  si  me  lyricis  vatibus  inserts 

Sublimi  feriam  sidere  vertice 

for  their  dreams  have  been  realized  and  they  "have 
reached  the  stars  with  the  high-carried  head." 

None  can  begrudge  Lowell  his  niche  in  the  temple  of 
fame.  Although  in  the  coming  years  but  few  will  listen  to 
his  "Conversations  on  Some  of  the  Old  Poets,"  or  look 
with  him  through  his  "Study  Windows,"  or  accompany 
him  on  his  "Fireside  Travels,"  yet  shall  he  have  the  satis 
faction  of  knowing  that,  so  far  as  this  world  and  its  judg 
ments  are  concerned,  his  name  remains  untarnished ;  and 
that  no  word  of  scandal  ever  has  been  uttered  which  could 
in  the  slightest  besmirch  his  reputation. 


148       POE:  A  PSYCHOPATHIC  STUDY 

It  is  equally  certain,  although  for  some  good  New 
England  reason  Lowell  assumed  the  throne  left  vacant 
by  the  death  of  Longfellow,  that  generations  to  come 
will  know  him  not;  and  that  his  name,  good  or  bad, 
will  perish  from  the  memory  of  man,  unless  it  be  recalled 
as  a  contributor  to  the  curiosities  of  literature,  when  the 
"Biglow  Papers"  are  referred  to,  or  "A  Fable  for  Critics"  is 
mentioned  because  it  contains  an  allusion  to  Poe. 

Lowell's  name  may  be  carried  to  future  generations  be 
cause  he  almost  became  the  friend  of  Poe. 

Did  one  pay  the  price  because  he  was  the  child  of  genius, 
while  the  other  inherited  the  earth  because  he  was  lacking 
in  this  divine  gift?  And,  after  all,  who  rightly  may  be 
judged  the  more  fortunate?  For  of  the  mediocre  who  strive, 
struggle,  die  and  are  forgotten,  the  world  holds  no  record. 

Our  beloved  Autocrat,  more  wonderfully  than  I  know 
of  elsewhere,  has  described  this  "Race  of  Life"  and  the  fate 
of  oblivion  that  the  world  holds  as  our  meed : 

Commencement  day  always  reminds  me  of  the  start  for  the 
'Derby'  when  the  beautiful  three-year  olds  of  the  season  are  brought 
up  for  the  trial.  .  .  .  But  this  is  the  start  and  here  they  are,  coats 
bright  as  silk,  and  manes  smooth  as  eau  Lustrale  can  make  them.  Some 
of  the  best  are  pranced  around,  a  few  minutes  each,  to  show  their 
paces.  .  .  .  Do  they  really  think  those  little  thin  legs  can  do  anything 
in  such  a  slashing  sweepstakes  as  is  coming  off  in  the  next  forty  years? 
Oh,  this  terrible  gift  of  second-sight  that  comes  to  some  of  us  when  we 
begin  to  look  through  the  silvered  rings  of  the  arcus  senilis!  Ten  years 
gone.  First  turn  in  the  race.  A  few  broken  down;  two  or  three  bolted. 
Cossack,  a  black  colt,  seems  to  be  ahead  of  the  rest;  those  black  colts 
commonly  get  the  start,  I  have  noticed,  of  the  others  in  the  first  quar 
ter.  Meteor  has  pulled  up. 

Twenty  years.  Cassock  has  dropped  from  the  front,  and  Judex,  an 
iron-gray,  has  the  lead.  But  look!  how  they  have  thinned  out.  Down 
flat, — five, — six,  how  many  ?  They  lie  still  enough!  They  will  not  get  up 
again  in  this  race,  be  very  sure! 

Thirty  years.  Dives,  bright  sorrel,  ridden  by  the  fellow  in  the  yel 
low  jacket,  begins  to  make  play  fast.  But  who  is  that  other  one  that 


POE:  A  PSYCHOPATHIC  STUDY       149 

has  been  lengthening  his  stride  and  now  shows  close  up  to  the  front? 
Don't  you  remember  the  quiet  brown  colt  Asteroid  with  the  star  in  his 
forehead?  The  black  colt,  as  we  used  to  call  him,  is  in  the  background 
taking  it  easily  in  a  gentle  trot. 

Forty  years.  More  dropping  off  but  much  as  before. 

Fifty  years.  Race  over.  All  that  are  on  the  course  are  coming  in  at 
a  walk ;  no  more  running.  Who  is  ahead  ?  What !  and  the  winning  post  a 
slab  of  white  or  gray  stone  standing  out  from  that  turf  where  there  is 
no  more  jockying  or  straining  for  victory. 

Although  Poe  is  now  recognized  as  our  literary  primate 
— anathema  on  those  who  bracket,  with  his,  the  name  of 
Whitman ! — he  has  been  denied  official  recognition ;  he  has 
been  reluctantly  admitted  to  our  metropolitan  Hall  of 
Fame,  and  those  who  should  have  gloried  in  the  great 
literary  reputation  he  has  given  to  us,  and  who  should  have 
welcomed  him  as  a  peer,  coldly  declined  to  participate 
when  they  were  asked  to  do  him  honor. 

Years  ago  the  acid  test  was  applied.  When,  through  the 
efforts  of  old  friends  and  of  the  school  children  of  Rich 
mond,  a  public  subscription  was  raised  for  the  purpose  of 
erecting  a  "slab  of  stone' 'to  fittingly  mark  the  resting-place 
of  Poe's  body — there  he  is  not — they  asked  those  great 
men  of  Boston  who  had  been  Poe's  contemporaries,  and 
who  necessarily  recognized  his  literary  eminence  to  join  in 
commemorating  his  memory.  These  invitations  were  either 
ignored  or  they  were  not  accepted. 

Lowell,  Poe's  old  friend  and  admirer,  in  a  four-line  letter, 
"regretted  very  much  that  it  will  be  quite  impossible  for 
me  to  be  present."  Bryant,  in  a  note  equally  brief,  returned 
"thanks  for  the  obliging  invitation."  Mr.  Whittier:  "As  a 
matter  of  principle,  I  do  not  favor  ostentatious  monu 
ments"  (only  a  very  few  hundreds  had  been  raised  by 
these  poor  children  of  Richmond).  Dr.  Holmes,  in  his  letter 
of  declination,  feelingly  referred  to  Poe's  sins  of  commis 
sion:  "The  hearts  of  all  who  reverence  the  inspiration  of 
genius,  who  can  look  tenderly  upon  the  infirmities  too  often 


150       POE:  A  PSYCHOPATHIC  STUDY 

attending  it,  who  can  feel  for  its  misfortunes,  will  sym 
pathize  with  you,  as  you  gather  around  the  resting  place  of 
all  that  was  mortal  of  Edgar  Allan  Poe."  If  Holmes, 
usually  so  generous  and  warm-hearted,  could  thus  coldly 
respond,  to  whom  could  we  then  turn  ?  Surely  there  was  one 
who  would  exhibit  some  tenderness  for  the  memory  of  a 
contemporary  he  most  certainly  admired,  however  widely 
apart  their  orbits  ranged.  But  Longfellow's  response  was 
the  briefest  of  all ;  no  kindly  memory  or  literary  apprecia 
tion  roused  the  slightest  spark  of  human  sympathy.  To 
him  these  two  lines: 

The  fever  called  living 
Is  conquered  at  last. 

seemed  the  fitting  Epitaph  and  End. 

And  Tennyson,  the  Tennyson  Poe  so  admired, — would 
that  I  did  not  have  to  record  it!  wrote: 

I  have  long  been  acquainted  with  Poe's  works  and  am  an  admirer 
of  them.  I  am  obliged  to  you  for  your  expressions  about  myself,  and 
your  promise  of  sending  me  the  design  for  the  poet's  monument,  and 
beg  you  to  believe  me,  yours  very  truly. 

Possibly  the  encomiums  Poe  lavished  on  Tennyson  were 
so  well  deserved  that  no  responsive  chord  was  awakened. 
Possibly  he  did  not  possess  a  responsive  chord:  maybe 
after  all  it  was  but  the  "English"  of  him. 

None  of  these,  by  the  slightest  word  or  token,  gave  evi 
dence  of  sympathetic  interest,  or  of  respect  for  the  memory 
of  Poe:  not  one  of  them  went  beyond  the  limit  of  strict 
etiquette  in  their  formal  answers. 

Nor  can  this  indifference  be  accounted  for  by  sectional 
jealousies  or  local  prejudices.  Long  years  before  our 
country  again  had  become  one;  the  ties  binding  it  had 
grown  into  indissoluble  bonds  which  have  made  us  forget 
there  ever  was  a  line  of  cleavage.  Holmes  once  used 
and  explained  the  word  "polarized,"  in  a  way  fully  ac 
counting  for  this  attitude. 


POE:  A  PSYCHOPATHIC  STUDY      151 

Continuity  of  contemptuous  memory  and  biography 
had  overcome  and  polarized  all  feeling  for  the  human  side 
of  Poe,  and  had  obliterated  all  thought,  except  the  one 
that  was  bitter  and  that  bore  no  relation  to  the  literary 
skill  or  the  remarkable  accomplishments  of  this  genius. 
Coming  generations  will  become  de-polarized. 

Had  it  been  Lowell,  and  not  Poe,  whose  name  was  to  have 
been  celebrated  by  a  fitting  observance  of  his  memorable 
qualities, — not  of  the  things  he  wrote, — what  an  outpour 
ing  of  commemorative  odes  would  have  honored  alike  the 
subject  and  the  singers ! 

I  do  not  believe  that  I  am  peculiar  in  the  great  love  in 
which  I  hold  the  names  of  certain  writers — not  necessarily 
because  they  wrote  marvelous  things,  but  because  they 
are  men  who  appeal  to  my  heart. 

It  was  Thackeray  who  said: 

If  Steele  is  not  our  friend  he  is  nothing.  He  is  by  no  means  the  most 
brilliant  of  wits  or  the  deepest  of  thinkers,  but  he  is  our  friend ;  we  love 
him  as  children  love,  with  an  A  because  he  is  amiable.  I  own  to  liking 
Dick  Steele  the  Man  and  Dick  Steele  the  Author  much  better  than 
much  better  men  and  much  better  authors. 

How  I  would  have  loved  to  have  gone  a-fishing  with  old 
Isaac,  and  had  him  show  me  "that  very  chub  with  a  white 
spot  on  his  tail."  What  a  feast  I  could  have  had  at  the 
Mitre,  not  because  of  Johnson's  turgid  argumentations 
"for  effect,"  but  rejoicing  in  Goldsmith's  whimsicalities 
and  his  stuttered  paradoxes;  and  the  touch  of  his  honest 
hand  would  have  thrilled  me  in  spite  of  his  absurd 
"bloom-colored  coat,"  and  his  homely  snub-nosed  face, 
seared  by  the  scars  of  his  old  disease. 

Or  could  I  have  met,  only  for  once,  the  big-hearted 
Thackeray  in  one  of  his  hours  of  relaxation,  possibly  on  one 
of  his  occasional  meetings  with  "Old  Fitz,"  indulging  in 
persiflage  and  uproarious  boyish  laughter — Thackeray,  the 
lovable,  who  never  stooped  to,  nor  tolerated,  an  ignoble 


152       POE:  A  PSYCHOPATHIC  STUDY 

action,  and  who  satirized  all  that  was  false,  mean,  and  dis 
honest  ;  that  poor  Thackeray  who  so  patiently  bore  the  one 
great  and  unbearable  affliction  in  his  attempt  to  mother 
his  motherless  girls. 

Would  not  one  have  enjoyed  spending  a  day  at  Silverado 
with  Stevenson,  that  patient  sufferer  who  so  pathetically 
and  tenaciously  fought  for  life — not  because  he  feared 
death,  but  because  life  held  much  joy.  We  cannot  even 
look  at  the  crags  of  Mount  Saint  Helena,  which  for  a 
time  held  and  finally  restored  him,  without  a  quickening 
of  the  pulse-beat  and  a  tightening  of  the  heart-strings. 

And,  among  these  "Royal  and  Noble  Authors,"  Poe 
would  not  have  been  the  least  of  those  I  loved.  In  his  hours 
of  sorrow  and  depression,  when  he  shunned  the  world  and 
sought  seclusion  in  the  little  cottage  at  Fordham,  now  a 
shrine  to  his  memory,  I  could  have  kept  him  silent  com 
pany,  and  in  my  own  poor  way  have  ministered  to  his 
necessities — possibly  have  given  him  aid  in  his  affliction ; 
or  I  would  have  accompanied  him  on  one  of  his  solitary 
rambles  to  High  Bridge,  bearing  with  him  his  load  of  gloom 
and  wretchedness.  Or,  when  his  mood  changed  and  inspir 
ation  lighted  his  mobile  face,  and  supernatural  themes 
employed  his  facile  tongue,  I  would  have  rejoiced  in  his 
well  modulated  voice  repeating  some  favorite  poem,  or 
dwelling  on  those  wonders  of  nature  that  so  completely 
occupied  his  later  years;  and,  in  the  words  of  his  beloved 
Tennyson,  I  would  have  attempted  with  him  to  find  the 
Ultimate, 

And  reach  the  law  within  the  law. 


PART  II. 

EDGAR  A.  POE 

A  BIBLIOGRAPHIC  STUDY 


IN  EXPLANATION 

IT  HAS  been  my  purpose  in  cataloguing  my  books  not 
only  to  give  the  usual  bibliographical  details  but,  in 
addition,  so  to  abstract  their  contents  as  to  exhibit 
that  vital  spark  which  has  given  them  the  right  to  live. 
Books  not  endowed  with  this  spark  of  life  should  not  cum 
ber  our  shelves  but  should  be  allowed  to  crumble  and 
disappear.  Those  that  are  ancient,  and  only  have  been  pre 
served  for  the  reason  that  they  have  been  laid  away  and 
forgotten,  are  "Struldbrugs :"  helpless  and  imbecile  they 
continue  to  exist,  a  horror  to  those  who  must  care  for 
them. 

Nor  do  I  care  for  the  promising  though  immature 
youths  who  in  time  may  grow  into  illustrious  manhood. 
So  very  doubtful  am  I  of  my  ability  to  distinguish  the 
great  from  the  near-great,  that  I  have  felt  it  wise  to  allow 
Time's  judgment  to  determine  this  x-quantity;but  with  the 
personal  reservation  that,  as  in  the  moct  respectable  com 
munities  there  are  certain  individuals  we  like,  others  we 
merely  tolerate,  and  still  others,  however  good  their  repute, 
whom  we  thoroughly  dislike,  there  are  certain  books  that 
we  love,  or  we  endure,  or  that  we  reject  notwithstanding 
their  reputations  are  excellent  and  their  morals  above 
reproach.  There  will  always  be  some  few  that  we  may  not 
highly  respect,  which  yet  we  love  because  they  amuse,  or 
because  they  are  possessed  of  some  quality  which  endears 
them  to  us,  although  association  with  them  may  not  be 
judged  to  be  uplifting. 

In  selecting  books  for  the  formation  of  a  library  prob 
ably  we  shall  be  guided  by  the  same  unconscious  prefer 
ences  that  control  us  in  establishing  a  home  and  selecting 


158      POE:  A  BIBLIOGRAPHIC  STUDY 

associates.  There  are  individuals  obsessed  by  social  aspira 
tions  who  do  not  seek  the  old,  and  possibly  out-at-elbows, 
friends  they  used  to  love ;  they  desire  for  companions  only 
persons  of  civic  prominence,  or  those  who  are  highly 
placed.  They  reject  all  others,  although  to  find  their  peers 
it  may  become  necessary  to  employ  a  social  secretary  and 
dragnet  the  city.  These  care  nothing  for  old  associations, 
and  are  swayed  by  no  personal  inclinations;  they  allow 
themselves  no  likes  nor  dislikes.  The  only  requirement  for 
companionship  is  that  their  companions  standardise  so 
cially.  Usually  their  book  mansions  remain  closed  during 
many  months  of  each  year,  and  the  only  evidence  of  occu 
pation  is  an  occasional  footprint,  impressed  in  the  dust 
which  has  accumulated  between  infrequent  visits. 

My  book-home  was  erected,  and  my  book  friends  were 
selected,  after  a  design  and  in  a  spirit  somewhat  different. 
It  was  built  for  constant  and  permanent  occupation,  al 
though  it  had  its  beginnings  in  surroundings  lowly  and 
humble.  Most  emphatically  it  was  the  result  of  my  own 
inclinations,  and  it  was  the  offspring  of  my  unbridled  love. 
Few  books,  however  praised  by  the  world  or  distinguished 
by  long  life,  were  admitted  unless  I  found  in  them  con 
genial  friends.  Occasionally,  even  the  vagabond  and  the 
outlaw  gained  admission  if  possessed  of  certain  qualities 
(or  vagaries)  which  made  them  interesting  human  docu 
ments.  Necessarily,  I  have  given  admission  to  certain 
books  only  because  of  their  eminent  respectability,  and, 
occasionally,  I  have  demeaned  myself  by  servilely  grovel 
ling  in  the  HOUSE  OF  THE  GILDED. 

As  there  are  differences  in  the  fashions  of  home  building, 
so  there  are  many  different  opinions  as  to  what  should 
constitute  a  library,  the  Bradstreet  rating  frequently 
determining  the  choice.  If  one  who  desires  to  form  a  collec 
tion  be  possessed  of  abundant  wealth,  he  may  not  be 
willing  to  trust  his  own  judgment;  but  will  employ  an 


IN  EXPLANATION  159 

"architect"  who  will  plan  and  construct  for  him  a  library 
of  imposing  grandeur.  Its  cornerstone  undoubtedly  will 
be  the  First  Four  Folios.  Next  will  come  the  Elegy,  and,  if 
possible  to  procure,  an  uncut  Kilmarnock ;  then  the  Songs 
of  Innocence.  The  price  mark  is  plain,  and  for  this  reason 
their  quality  cannot  be  questioned.  Because  there  are  only 
a  very  few  of  these  rarities  to  be  distributed  among  a  great 
number  of  seekers,  the  scramble  would  be  amusing  were  it 
not  pitiful  to  see  such  desirable  items  seized  and  incar 
cerated  in  these  BOOK  MANSIONS. 

My  critical  reflections  will  have  made  it  evident  that  I 
have  not  been  able  to  follow  this  method  of  formation.  A 
good  library  may  be  builded  without  having,  as  a  founda 
tion,  the  First  Four  Folios,  which,  in  good  condition,  are 
now  held  at  something  like  $25,000.  There  are  many  desir 
able  items  that  are  within  the  reach  of  the  ungilded.  A  few 
manuscripts,  glistening  in  their  golden  borders  and  illum 
inated  with  miniatures,  possibly  the  work  of  some  devotee 
whose  heart's  life-blood  rubricated  their  pages,  or  some 
illustrative  incunabula  (still  an  education  to  our  modern 
printers  and  binders,  as  they  must  be  in  their  original 
bindings,  unless  a  Payne  or  a  Berthelet  or  other  notable 
binding  has  been  substituted ;  otherwise  their  shorn  mar 
gins  render  them  valueless);  possibly,  if  very  carefully 
selected,  a  third  rate  Caxton  or  a  Wynken  de  Worde. 
These,  perhaps,  may  be  afforded ;  while  good  specimens  of 
1500-1550  transitional  English  are  not  financial  impossi 
bilities.  A  Tyndale  Bible,  an  Elyot's  "Governor,"  and,  if 
one  is  fortunate,  the  first  Ascham's  "Schoolmaster"  in  its 
original  vellum  binding,  as  well  as  an  early  Chaucer  and  a 
first  Gower — all  are  within  reach.  The  Nuremberg  Chron 
icle,  that  great  picture  book  on  which  it  is  said  Albert 
Durer  might  have  tried  his  'prentice  hand,  and  which  is  the 
earliest  of  all  illustrated  books,  is  a  most  comforting  item; 
but  so  many  rise  up  and  demand  recognition  that  each 


160      POE:  A  BIBLIOGRAPHIC  STUDY 

individual  lover  must  choose  his  particular  inamorata. 
However,  in  this  "affair,"  the  polygamous  conception  is 
permissible;  for  when  the  appetite  becomes  whetted,  and 
blood  is  once  tasted,  it  grows  with  what  it  feeds  upon,  and 
individual  tastes — if  they  be  individual — give  us  the  best 
criterion  by  which  to  determine  the  capacity  of  the  collec 
tor.  Certainly,  any  good  library  must  contain  all  the  early 
English  classics,  if  possible  as  originally  issued,  neces 
sarily  in  contemporary  bindings.  All  modern  "creations" 
and  jewelled  bindings  should  be  avoided  "as  strongly  as 
the  Moslemite  the  forbidden  wine."  Some  of  the  earlier 
typographical  prints  from  the  old  presses,  the  Elzevirs, 
the  Aldines  and  the  Plantins,  keep  up  old  traditions,  even 
if  their  contents  are  dead.  They  give  the  attic  flavor.  The 
works  of  many  modern  presses,  of  the  Moxons  and  the 
Baskervilles,  and  other  of  the  recent  printers  who  issued 
contemporary  and  living  publications,  should  be  sought, 
and  there  are  many  existent  presses  noted  for  the  typo 
graphical  beauty  of  their  productions.  So  numerous  and  so 
notable  are  they  that  to  mention  them  is  unnecessary. 

Personally,  I  avoid  all  Kelmscott  and  other  imitations, 
some  of  them  unspeakably  bad,  of  old  manuscripts  and 
incunabula.  Some  of  the  early  Americana  is  almost  neces 
sary.  Smith's  "History  of  Virginia,"  Hennepin's  and  other 
of  the  early  explorations  (never  the  reprint,  if  the  original 
can  be  procured)  are  most  desirable.  A  "Poor  Richard" 
issued  while  Franklin  still  moralized,  a  genuine  Horn 
Book,  if  it  can  be  found,  and  a  "New  England  Primer" 
issued  when  it  was  yet  prefaced  by  that  hangman's  cut  of 
the  Georges;  and  possibly,  if  one's  nerves  be  strong  and 
indignant  comments  be  under  control,  specimens  of  New 
England's  early  contributions  to  our  literature,  such  as 
the  "Wonders  of  the  Invisible  World,"  which  contains  an 
account  of  the  witches  and  which  upheld  their  persecutors ; 
or  other  of  the  Mathers — all  of  them  are  interesting  and 


IN  EXPLANATION  161 

entertaining  human  documents,  even  while  they  force  a  real 
ization  of  the  quality  of  the  foundation  on  which  American 
literature  rests.  All  of  these  and  many  other  books  equally 
rare,  entertaining  and  informing,  may  be  secured  for  a 
much  lower  figure  than  is  now  asked  for  the  four  Folios. 
"Could  have  been  secured"  possibly  would  have  been  a 
more  accurate  statement,  for  certain  of  these  have  so  sky 
rocketed  (and  book  profiteers  have  so  imposed  on  the 
occupants  of  these  MANSIONS)  that  prices  now  asked  seem 
to  us,  judging  by  older  catalogs  and  "Book-Prices  Cur 
rent,"  out  of  all  proportion  to  the  value  of  the  purchase. 

Specimens  of  Grolier,  Derome,  and  many  other  of  the 
Royal  bindings,  are  most  desirable  when  placed  on  books 
worthy  of  their  covering ;  but  in  this  we  are  trespassing  on 
the  domain  of  the  LONG-PURSES,  and  such  a  collection  soon 
becomes  the  work  of  the  specialist;  it  is  not  for  the 
medium-pursed  amateur. 

Fine  bindings  on  worthless  books  are  a  reflection  on  any 
collector  unless  he  can  excuse  them  by  some  explanation 
that  justifies  their  presence.  I  would  no  more  willingly 
admit  one  of  these  to  my  library  shelves  than  I  would 
choose  for  friend  and  familiar  associate  a  manikin  such  as 
is  placed  in  a  store  window  on  which  are  exhibited  the 
latest  fashions.  Gorgeous  though  it  be,  its  value  is  purely 
extraneous.  As  a  rule  such  coverings  conceal  nothingness. 

Editions  de  luxe  and  numbered  sets  or  volumes  place 
their  owners  under  grave  suspicion,  and  their  finger  prints 
must  be  carefully  examined.  By  the  speculative  dealer  they 
are  studied  and  remembered  and,  for  this  reason,  many 
desirable  items  are  now  beyond  the  reach  of  the  average 
collector.  While  in  individual  cases  it  might  work  a  hard 
ship,  I  am  powerfully  inclined  to  the  enactment  of  a  law 
that  would  deny  the  entrance  of  plutocrats  to  this  Para 
dise  of  all  that  constitutes  human  happiness. 

It  frequently  happens  that  he  of  the  medium  purse  sue- 


162      POE:  A  BIBLIOGRAPHIC  STUDY 

ceeds  by  reason  of  careful  and  diligent  search,  where  the 
rich  collector  fails  because  of  over  eagerness  to  reach  the 
goal.  If,  for  good  reasons,  a  dozen  books  are  desired,  and 
only  one  can  be  paid  for,  the  one  finally  chosen  is  sure  to  be 
an  index  and  a  guide  to  the  spirit  and  the  book-knowledge 
of  the  man  who  selects  it  for  his  library.  There  are  many 
collections,  rich  in  the  choicest  book  treasures,  that  in  no 
sense  represent  either  the  intellectual  qualities  nor  are  they 
an  index  to  the  taste  of  the  collector.  To  form  a  library  that 
will  properly  characterize  the  collector,  it  must  be  fused 
into  solidarity  and  individuality  by  the  fire  of  personal 
enthusiasm.  Predilections  vary  amongst  equally  compe 
tent  and  equally  book-loving  selectors. 

My  friend  also  has  chosen  the  books  that  constitute  his 
library.  He  has  bestowed  upon  them  an  enthusiasm  and  a 
love  as  great  as  my  own.  However,  the  qualifications  that 
his  books  must  have,  in  order  to  gain  admission  to  his 
shelves,  materially  differ  from  those  I  require.  My  Hakluyt 
must  be  the  1599-1600  edition,  but  he  prefers  the  modern 
reprint.  I  would  accept  only  the  original  Adlington  "Gol 
den  Ass  ;"  he  insists  upon  the  Bohn  translation,  because  it  is 
more  accurate,  and  because  the  blark  letter  tijpe  is  difficult 
to  decipher.  My  Montaigne,  the  first  folio,  he  laughs  to 
scorn,  for,  if  it  is  not  illegible,  certainly  it  is  not  easily  read. 
I  selected  the  folio  Hume:  it  is  large,  awkward  to  hold,  and 
will  fit  only  on  a  specially  constructed  shelf;  but,  although 
it  is  the  finest  specimen  of  typography  in  existence,  my 
friend  will  none  of  it  for  his  library.  His  copy  is  an  octavo, 
neither  cumbersome  nor  unwieldy,  and,  in  the  best  sense, 
it  is  readable.  I  will  only  have  Macauley  in  the  original 
boards,  and  as  first  issued.  He  refuses  to  give  such  a  book 
shelf  room,  and  will  accept  only  the  standard  edition, 
freed  from  all  errata  and  with  the  more  modern  additions 
and  modifications.  I  will  have  no  Shelley  except  as  first 
issued,  although  it  necessitates  my  taking  "Queen  Mab" 


IN  EXPLANATION  163 

with  torn  imprint,  consoling  myself  with  the  knowledge 
that  Shelley's  own  hands  desecrated — or  consecrated — 
this  volume  (for  it  was  his  individual  act  to  which  this 
mutilation  is  due) ;  my  friend  chooses  the  complete  edition, 
as  issued  by  Mrs.  Shelley.  The  world  upholds  him  in  his 
common-sense  views  and  methods  of  collecting,  while  it 
calls  me  by  a  name  that  is  opprobrious,  yet  which  flatters 
my  book-pride. 

I  also  have  an  acquaintance,  a  man  ambitious  to  be 
considered  a  book  collector,  whose  family  the  newspapers 
refer  to  as  'The  Horace- Joneses,"  though  the  head  of  it  is 
widely,  appropriately,  and  popularly  known  as  "Jackass 
Jones."  Occasionally  he  allows  me  to  inspect  his  books, 
some  of  which  are  the  rarest  in  existence.  His  original  pur 
chase  was  the  four  Folios,  but  they  proved  to  be  a  cause 
of  great  worry.  He  bought  them  in  the  belief  that  the  four 
constituted  the  first  edition  of  Shakespeare,  and  was  right 
eously  angry,  on  inspection,  to  find  that  they  did  not  bear 
the  same  date,  and  that  they  were  not  properly  num 
bered,  and  that  their  bindings  were  not  uniform.  They 
were  either  in  original  or  contemporary  bindings,  their 
margins  were  uncut,  they  were  not  deformed  by  reproduc 
tions.  It  was  only  by  a  tour  deforce  that  he  was  prevailed 
upon  not  to  rebind  them  to  correspond  with  other  of  his 
hand- tooled  and  gilded  creations,  and  not  so  to  cut  them 
down  that  they  would  more  sungly  fit  on  his  glass  encased 
shelves.  As  he  very  intelligently  and  shrewdly  remarked, 
the  margins  were  unnecessarily  large  and  showed  a  dis 
regard  for  the  proper  conservation  of  paper,  and  they 
occupied  an  unjustifiable  amount  of  space.  His  investiga 
tion  of  these  books  went  no  further.  There  is  only  one 
book  that  he  has  completely  read  and  digested  and  with 
every  detail  of  which  he  is  familiar  and  which  he  thor 
oughly  understands.  It  must  be  very  rare  for,  though  I  am 
fairly  familiar  with  books,  it  is  one  that  I  rarely  meet  with ; 


164      POE:  A  BIBLIOGRAPHIC  STUDY 

and,  try  as  I  do,  I  have  never  been  able  to  familiarize 
myself  with  its  contents.  He  calls  it  a  check  book. 

Tastes  differ,  and  if  only  a  collector  will  follow  his  in 
dividual  preferences,  and  gather  into  his  library  those 
books  that  give  him  pleasure,  no  one  justly  may  criticize 
him.  He  has  simply  followed  where  his  predilections  led. 
These  statements  are  made  to  illustrate  the  fact  that  every 
library  must  be  a  law  unto  itself,  and,  if  individually  com 
piled,  its  volumes  are  the  best  commentary  on  the  taste, 
the  philosophy,  and  the  mental  capacity  of  the  collector. 

Except  for  commercial  purposes,  or  that  one  may  satisfy 
some  Utopian  whim,  it  is  not  necessary  to  invest  in  the 
absolutely  first  issue,  which  can  only  be  identified  by  a  mis- 
pagination,  or  an  error  in  spelling,  or  some  battered  type; 
especially  where,  to  secure  such  a  deformity,  it  may  be 
necessary  to  pay  many  hundreds  of  dollars  more  than  a 
perfect  copy  of  the  first  would  cost.  This  statement  does 
not  hold  good  in  all  cases.  It  is  absolutely  necessary  to 
possess  the  Vicar  with  the  misprint  "Waeckfield"  but, 
provided  "Robinson  Crusoe"  be  of  the  right  date  and 
carry  the  Crusoe  pictures,  it  is  not  at  all  necessary  that,  in 
the  preface,  apply  shall  be  spelled  apyly.  "Gulliver's 
Travels"  must  have  the  separate  pagination,  and,  if  pos 
sible,  the  unlettered  picture  of  Gulliver  as  it  was  first 
issued :  especially  this  volume  should  be  in  the  hands  of  all 
Pacific  Coast  collectors,  because  of  its  map  showing  the 
location  of  Brobdingnag.  As  far  as  I  am  aware  I  am  the 
first  to  name  it  an  important  piece  of  Calif  or  niana.  This 
map  gives  an  excellent  contour  of  the  Pacific  Coast,  with 
its  capes  and  bays  properly  marked  and  named ;  it  locates 
Brobdingnag  in  the  exact  position  now  assigned  to  Alaska. 
Had  Swift's  tale  been  properly  interpreted  by  a  psychic, 
some  of  its  wonders  would  have  been  discovered  long  ago, 
and  many  of  the  tall  tales  of  marvelous  adventures  and 
remarkable  occurrences,  that  are  now  a  part  of  history, 


IN  EXPLANATION  165 

could  have  been  forecast  with  Monte  Cristo  results  that 
would  have  enriched  the  world.  As  it  is,  where  the  remark 
able  tales  of  certain  Alaska  visitors  cannot  be  verified,  the 
location  may  account  for  the  magnified  imaginings. 

It  is  not  necessary  that  "Tom  Jones"  shall  have  the  list 
of  errata,  but  it  is  very  necessary  that  the  contents  be 
properly  placed.  Sterne's  works,  if  obtainable,  should  have 
"The  Sentimental  Journey"  as  first  issued  in  its  original 
covers,  and  "Tristram  Shandy"  should  not  be  allowed 
entrance  unless  it  carries  all  identifying  points  of  a  first 
issue,  which  are  many  and  somewhat  complicated.  "Para 
dise  Lost"  is  certainly  a  desirable  possession,  especially  if 
it  bear  the  date  1667,  with  the  first  title  page,  but  a  later 
issue  of  the  first  edition  costs  several  hundred  dollars  less, 
and  is  held  to  be  equally  a  first  edition.  Not  many  know 
the  right  date,  and,  if  a  discriminating  enquiry  shows 
familiarity  with  the  facts,  properly  it  will  lead  to  an  inter 
esting  discussion  of  the  eight  title  pages ;  it  is  not  difficult 
to  prove  that  the  contents  of  all  were  printed  at  the  same 
time,  the  date  and  title  page  merely  showing  the  year  in 
which  they  were  sold  rather  than  the  date  of  publication. 
They  also  illustrate  the  various  and  resourceful  methods 
adopted  by  the  publishers  even  in  those  days.  If  this 
palming  fails,  it  is  proper  to  point  out  the  very  material 
fact  that  possession  of  all  eight  title  pages  is  a  display  of 
financial  resources  not  in  the  best  taste. 

But  this  does  not  hold  true  of  Omar.  If  one  must  be 
"indulged  in" — and  who  can  long  resist? — it  is  necessary 
to  possess  all  of  the  first  four  editions,  otherwise  it  may 
not  be  possible  to  follow  the  ever-shifting  text.  They  should 
not  only  be  in  their  original  covers,  but  those  covers 
should  be  fresh  and  clean.  All  Thackeray  and  Dickens  pub 
lications  should — when  so  issued — be  in  their  original 
parts,  but  it  is  not  necessary  that  the  "Pickwick  Papers" 
shall  have  all  the  "points"  possessed  by  the  Lapham  copy. 


166      POE:  A  BIBLIOGRAPHIC  STUDY 

The  bibliographer  who  selected  this  particular  copy  as  the 
standard  was  "unduly  influenced,"  either  by  contiguity  or 
by  ownership.  I  could  describe  a  copy  far  more  significant 
of  the  facts,  and  which  would  allow  a  far  greater  number 
of  candidates  to  qualify,  in  spite  of  the  very  important 
consideration  that  no  one  has  been  able  to  fully  determine 
certain  questioned  points,  and  that  one  guess  is  as  good 
as  another ;  for  none  of  us  can  be  certain  of  all  the  points 
that  do  constitute  the  first  issue. 

Every  library  should  be  a  reflex  of  the  mental  charac 
teristics — as  it  necessarily  is  of  the  financial  status — of  the 
collector;  and,  if  we  seem  inclined  to  hold  what  we  possess 
as  a  necessary  constituent,  and  to  deride  those  book 
treasures  not  held  by  us  as  being  unduly  valued,  that  is 
merely  another  example  of  the  impossibility  of  solving  the 
human  equation,  and  a  repetition  in  another  form  of  the 
old  story  as  to  "whose  bull  gored  the  unlucky  oxen."  That 
story  is  my  first  "memory,"  for  it  was  a  reading  lesson  in 
my  first  Noah  Webster  speller, — I  forget  how  many  years 
ago.  Yet  that  book,  or  its  duplicate,  is  one  of  my  prized 
possessions,  secured  after  many  years  of  diligent  search; 
and  the  "Temple  of  Fame  and  Knowledge"  which  decorates 
it,  still  appeals  to  all  the  ambition  that  is  in  me.  It  con 
tained  another  reading  lesson  about  a  fox  that  had  lost  its 
tail,  and  its  vain  attempt  to  make  of  this  mutilation  a 
fashion.  Because  of  this  training,  I  know  it  is  not  right 
to  sneer  at  the  long-pursed,  the  long-tailed,  or  the  long- 
eared  ones.  I  try  to  be  satisfied  with  the  crumbs  that 
fall  to  my  lot  and  not  unduly  to  long  for  the  flesh-pots  of 
the  GILDED.  If  I  cannot  have  the  Seymour  plates  I  am  at 
least  thankful  that  I  have  Pickwick  in  parts,  and  I  try  to 
brave  it  through  although  my  copy  be  not  one  of  the 
three  or  four  that  pass  for  perfect.  Who  of  us  can  feel  in 
different  as  to  whether  it  is  the  first  or  the  eighth  title  page 
of  "Paradise  Lost"  he  possesses,  or  who  in  his  book-loving 


IN  EXPLANATION  167 

heart  really  can  scoff  at  the  four  Folios?  Certain  people 
whistle  to  keep  up  their  courage,  and  assume  a  brave  front 
when  repining  is  useless.  At  least,  I  shall  attempt  to  put 
my  few  possessions  in  the  very  best  light. 

In  studying  my  books,  it  has  always  been  a  difficult 
matter  to  separate  and  dissociate  the  personality  of  the 
man  who  wrote,  from  the  things  written;  for  this  reason 
my  collection  of  biographies  and  autobiographies  are  co 
extensive  with  the  other  books  collected.  I  do  not  believe 
that  the  statements  contained  are  in  all  ways  authentic, 
nor  are  they  to  be  relied  upon  as  a  fair  index  to  the  per 
sonal  qualities  and  individual  traits  of  the  person  they 
attempt  to  depict.  I  have  found  that  they  are  as  valuable 
for  what  they  endeavor  to  conceal  as  for  what  they  ex 
hibit,  in  spite  of  the  fact  that  their  kindly  efforts  to  make 
plain  the  inner  life  end  in  failure,  when  they  attempt  to  ex 
plain  that  which  is  inexplicable.  A  biographer  must  psych 
ologize  himself  before  he  can  psychologize  his  subject. 

A  striking  illustration  of  this  is  found  in  Bishop's 
'Theodore  Roosevelt  and  his  Time."  The  gradual  change 
observable  in  the  man  we  loved  for  his  mental  virility,  his 
honesty  of  purpose,  and  especially  for  the  enemies  he 
made,  is  a  regrettable  instance  of  the  dominant  ego  of 
youth  slowly  transformed  into  the  megalomania  of  age. 
The  bitter  antagonism  Roosevelt  exhibited  because  of  de 
viation  from  his  councils,  his  intolerance  of  all  things  he 
had  not  originated,  and  his  exhibition  of  wrath  aroused 
because  of  a  just  award  which  fulfilled  a  moral  obligation 
crowning  his  own  greatest  achievement,  were  but  symp 
toms  of  an  egomania  that  finally  ended  in  an  obsession.  He 
mistook  the  buzzing  of  the  bee  for  the  Call  of  the  People 
demanding  his  return  to  public  office.  Although  in  Bishop's 
statement  there  is  an  evident  attempt  either  to  explain  or 
to  ignore  these  various  assumptions,  it  is  not  difficult  to 
read  between  the  lines.  He  omitted  unduly. 


168      POE:  A  BIBLIOGRAPHIC  STUDY 

Undoubtedly,  as  is  the  case  with  Washington,  and  as  it 
is  rapidly  becoming  with  Lincoln,  time  will  cause  these 
human  weaknesses  to  be  forgotten,  and  Roosevelt  may 
become  apotheosized;  but  such  books,  dealing  with  mat 
ters  still  fresh  in  our  memories,  only  arouse  criticism. 

What  autobiography  more  depressing  could  be  found 
than  that  of  Henry  Adams,  the  arch  pessimist  of  his  pessi 
mistic  family,  who  laid  before  an  interested  world  his 
Theories  of  Education?  That  neurasthenic,  third  person 
statement,  filled  with  morbid  introspection,  should  have 
contained  far  more  of  strenuous  life  and  personal  impres 
sions  than  Adams  did  give  out. 

Could  two  more  dissimilar  lives  have  been  related,  yet 
each,  in  their  way,  self-explanatory?  In  both  cases  it  was 
the  morbid  ego  that  dominated. 

Notwithstanding  the  veil  of  obscurity  thrown  around 
individuals  by  their  biographers,  and  of  their  attempts  to 
explain  unexplainable  facts  and  to  make  the  world  view 
their  subjects  as  they  themselves  have  been  hypnotized 
into  seeing  him,  in  spite  of  that  strabismus  which  afflicts 
all  autobiographers  when  they  attempt  to  see  themselves 
as  they  desire  the  world  to  view  them,  it  is  not  impossible, 
nor  is  it  really  difficult  to  judge  of  the  facts,  not  only  from 
what  is  stated  but,  almost  equally,  from  what  is  omitted. 

There  is  an  optical  illusion  frequently  experienced, 
founded  upon  the  temporary  retention  of  an  image  by  the 
retina.  If  one  travels  at  a  definite  speed  past  an  enclosed 
and  ordinarily  view-proof  fence  (a  fence  that  has  slight 
interstices  separating  the  boards),  a  perfect  view  is  given 
of  the  enclosed  interior.  Before  one  fleeting  image  im 
pressed  upon  the  retina  has  vanished,  another  again  has 
impressed  its  image.  A  continuous  picture  is  thus  formed, 
identical  with  that  known  as  a  moving  picture.  In  the 
account  of  any  life,  we  find  knot  holes  and  cracks,  and 
interstitial  glimpses,  that  give  us  a  full  view  of  the  interior 


IN  EXPLANATION  169 

of  such  authors  as  interest  us.  In  this  way  we  may  arrive 
at  a  very  satisfactory  knowledge  of  all  that  we  should 
know  about  an  individual.  To  probe  deeper  is  not  always 
the  decent  thing,  nor  is  it  necessary  that  posterity  be 
familiarized  with  facts  which  neither  the  individual  nor 
his  biographer  care  to  detail. 

Certain  of  these  writers  have  presented  such  marked 
peculiarities,  either  in  what  they  have  written  or  in  the 
facts  of  their  lives — often  in  both — as  to  have  been  chosen 
by  me  as  especially  interesting  psychological  problems, 
well  worth  the  study  of  an  alienist.  Blake  and  Swedenborg, 
Swift,  Bacon,  Rousseau,  Lamb,  Johnson,  and  many  others, 
are  proper  subjects  for  such  an  investigation.  These  and 
others  I  have  painstakingly  studied,  and  have  attempted 
critically  to  estimate  the  significance  that  their  peculiari 
ties  and  personalities  should  have  in  a  consideration  of  the 
things  which  they  have  written.  I  have  endeavored  to  un 
ravel  the  skein  of  many  threads  which  constituted  their 
real  life,  and  to  view  the  web  of  their  personality,  the  woof 
of  which  was  composed  of  most  heterogeneous  and  ill 
assorted  strands,  even  when  the  warp  was  sound  and  well 
stretched,  and  the  completed  fabric  proved  a  Royal  Robe. 

That  I  have  chosen  for  publication,  from  among  these, 
the  Study  of  Poe,  needs  neither  preface  nor  apology.  It 
contains  something  which,  if  not  original  nor  of  the  highest 
value,  attempts  to  harmonize  and  to  present  in  a  new  as 
pect,  old  and  well-established  facts;  and  which  further 
make  plain  the  neurosis  from  which  Poe  suffered. 

If  this  composite  picture,  and  this  reconstruction,  be  a 
necessary  introduction  to  a  full  understanding  of  Poe's 
personality,  it  is  unfortunate  that  it  was  not  made  many 
years  ago.  The  elapsed  time  has  allowed  the  acid  with 
which  that  other  portrait  was  etched-in  to  "bite"  so  deeply 
that  the  impression  formed  may  have  become  indelible. 
Even  so,  I  believed  myself  justified  in  attempting  it. 


EDGAR  A.  POE* 

A  BIBLIOGRAPHIC  STUDY 

To  make  a  complete  collection  of  the  stories,  essays  and 
poems  that  Poe  wrote,  in  the  many  publications  in  which 
they  first  appeared,  is  not  a  thing  easy  of  accomplishment. 

As  a  rule  it  is  necessary  to  be  satisfied  with  the  col 
lected  editions  either  as  first  issued,  or  in  their  later  and 
more  complete  form. 

For  the  bibliophile  who  majors  on  Poe,  and  who  is  will 
ing  to  delve  and  to  seek  for  periodicals  long  dead,  no  find 
ing  better  repays  the  search. 

Even  my  incomplete  collection  has  caused  me  more  per 
severing  effort  than  I  have  given  to  any  other  writer — 
Thackeray  alone  excepted.  Nor  would  it  have  been  as  com 
plete  as  it  is  without  friendly  assistance  and  the  good  luck 
that  always  attends  the  diligent  search.  To  secure  the 
rarer  items  it  was  necessary  to  await  the  dispersion  of  the 
great  libraries ;  for  so  few  are  they  in  number  and  so  rarely 
do  they  appear  in  catalogs,  or  do  their  owners  respond  to 
"want"  advertisements  that,  ordinarily  speaking,  they  are 
unobtainable. 

*Note. — I  do  not  write  Edgar  Allan  Poe  for  the  reason  that  on  no  occasion, 
either  in  his  published  writings  or  in  his  signatures  to  letters,  did  Poe  so  write  it  nor 
did  he  indicate  his  middle  name  except  by  an  initial.  (Confer  "Harrison's  Letters".) 
For  some  unknown  reason  we  write  Allan,  possibly  because  the  full  name  is  re 
garded  as  a  mark  of  literary  or  other  distinction. 

Apparently  we  are  given  to  certain  mannerisms  of  speech,  or  of  titles,  in  order 
to  indicate  our  literary  or  social  aspirations.  Usually  the  child  is  taught  to  pro 
nounce  either  with  the  long  e.  If  this  school  boy  should  aspire  to  distinction  in 
letters  he  will  early  show  this  inclination  by  using  the  long  i ;  for  it  is  a  generally 
received  opinion  that  the  well-educated  Englishman  so  pronounces.  When  this 
youth  enters  on  his  University  course  he  will  give  a  further  proof  of  his  literary 
trend  by  joining  the  Athenaeum,  and  his  first  cards,  in  place  of  the  well-known 
name  J.  H.  Jones,  will  bear  the  unfamiliar  signature,  J.  Horace  Jones.  While 


172      POE:  A  BIBLIOGRAPHIC  STUDY 

An  adventure  in  book-collecting  laid  the  foundation 
of  my  Poe  library.  With  pleasure  I  recall  the  day  that  I 
visited  Sotheran's  and  was  shown  a  letter  that  they  be 
lieved  would  interest  me.  Many  years  ago  a  Scotchman 
read  a  story  entitled  "Mesmerism  in  Articulo  Mortis," 
published  by  Short  &2  Co.  of  London,  and  it  was  said  to 
have  been  written  by  "Edgar  A.  Poe,  Esq.  of  New  York." 

This  Scotchman  wrote  to  Poe  asking  him  if  the  story 
was  true,  writing  that  he  also  was  a  student  of  Mesmer 
ism,  and  as  a  believer,  he  requested  a  further  statement 
"for  the  sake  of  Science  and  Truth." 

There  had  been  found  among  Poe's  correspondence — 
appropriated  by  Griswold — a  second  letter  from  this  seeker 
after  "Truth,"  thanking  Poe  for  his  answer.  It  is  well 
known  that  Poe  greatly  prized  this  inquiry,  as  it  indicated 
that  his  name  was  becoming  known  across  the  water ;  and 
he  had  requested  certain  of  his  friends  to  make  editorial 
comment  on  this  letter  as  a  proof  of  his  growing  popularity. 

In  the  "Letters"  published  by  Harrison  is  to  be  found 
both  the  Scotchman's  inquiry  and  his  answer  to  Poe  ac 
knowledging  the  reply,  but  not  the  letter  of  Poe. 

It  was  this  long  lost  letter  that  was  now  offered  me, 
and  it  contained  matter  both  autobiographical  and 
literary. 

occasionally,  for  genealogical,  or  other  good  reasons,  this  may  be  a  desirable' 
or  necessary,  mark  for  identification,  it  does  seem  that,  in  some  mysterious  way, 
this  change  confers  either  literary  or  personal  distinction.  While  it  may  not,  for 
the  first  time,  be  signed  to  an  "Ode  to  Spring,"  it  will  sooner  or  later  lead  to  some 
essay  in  literature,  and,  if  this  is  received  approvingly,  then  the  full  name — 
Joaquin  Horace  Jones — is  assumed. 

Great  wealth  or  high  social  station  often  results  in  hyphenation,  and  when  this 
stage  is  reached,  and  the  papers  announce  that  the  "Horace- Jones"  have  arrived, 
then  is  the  zenith  of  all  possible  social  distinction  attained. 

I  know  one  unfortunate  who  believes  that  he  has  every  right  to  be  thus  distin 
guished,  and  yet  it  so  happens  that  his  old  friends  still  insist  on  calling  him  "Jack 
ass-Jones" ;  for  it  was  while  driving  and  caring  for  a  herd  of  these  animals  that  he 
gained  his  lowly  and  humble  start,  and  laid  the  foundation  for  his  enormous 
wealth. 


POE:  A  BIBLIOGRAPHIC  STUDY       173 

I  had  never  heard  of  any  story  by  Poe  with  this  title: 
accordingly,  I  sought  information  from  that  well-spring  of 
bibliographica,  Tregaskis. 

Not  only  did  Mr.  Tregaskis  know  of  this  publication 
but  he  had  in  his  possession  the  pamphlet  for  which  I  had 
made  inquiry.  It  proved  to  be  our  old  friend  M.  V 'aide- 
mar,  but  headlined  and  dressed  in  a  fashion  that  appealed 
more  strongly  to  the  English  taste  than  did  Poe's  original 
title. 

These  items  were  the  foundation  of  my  Poe  collection, 
and  this  incident  was  the  incentive  that  induced  me  to 
make  a  strenuous  effort  properly  to  represent  in  my  library 
our  best  known  writer. 

Long  ago  Poe's  personality  had  interested  me :  a  study  of 
his  habits  and  character,  as  represented  in  his  life  and 
works,  had  convinced  me  that  his  biographers  had  not  un 
derstood  certain  of  the  mental  phases  he  exhibited  better 
than  had  his  contemporary  critics.  Subconsciously  I  was 
prepared  for  a  complete  exploitation  not  only  of  all  that 
Poe  had  written,  but  for  a  collection  of  these  writings  in 
the  form  in  which  they  were  originally  published. 

All  limited  and  de  luxe  editions  were  discarded  and,  bas 
ing  my  "wants"  on  Harrison's  complete  and  definitive 
bibliography,  I  began  my  search :  ignorantly  yet  hopefully 
was  the  collection  undertaken.  Necessarily  it  was  to  be  con 
fined  to  the  various  magazines,  periodicals,  and  annuals,  as 
well  as  to  the  few  collections  of  poems  and  stories  that 
Poe  made  during  his  lifetime.  I  soon  found  that  Poe,  in  his 
frenzied  struggle  against  starvation,  could  not  choose 
either  as  to  periodical  or  form  of  publication.  He  was  com 
pelled  to  select  the  magazine  that  would  pay  for  his  con 
tribution  :  or,  as  was  occasionally  necessary,  to  use  these 
articles  as  a  stop-gap  in  any  periodical  with  which  he  hap 
pened  to  be  connected.  I  was  not  only  ignorant  of  the  titles 
but,  even  after  these  were  known,  I  found  publications 


174      POE:  A  BIBLIOGRAPHIC  STUDY 

had  been  made  in  so  haphazard  a  manner  that,  frequently, 
it  was  difficult  to  determine  which  of  the  named  maga 
zines  should  be  regarded  as  containing  the  original  issue. 
The  bibliography  of  both  The  Raven  and  The  Bells  illus 
trate  this  uncertainty. 

Poe's  desperate  financial  condition  made  it  necessary  for 
him  to  seek  diligently  for  publications  that  would  accept 
his  contributions,  and  to  repeat  himself  in  many  periodi 
cals.  It  was  not  the  well  known  or  the  popular  magazines 
that  sought  him;  nor  would  they  accept  the  poems  and 
stories  that  are  now  regarded  as  his  masterpieces. 

This  was  partly  due  to  sectional  reasons;  bitter  rivalry, 
social  as  well  as  literary,  marked  the  Dixie  line.  It  was  es 
pecially  because  of  personal  enmities  engendered  by  over- 
bitter  criticisms,  and  to  the  righteous  verbal  castigations  in 
which  Poe  so  unreservedly  and  joyfully  indulged. 

If  some  struggling  periodical  offered  a  prize  it  was  Poe 
who  won  it,  and  when  such  a  magazine  died,  it  frequently 
happened  that  Poe's  choicest  literary  work  was  buried  in  it. 

For  these  reasons  the  quest  for  Poe  remains  should  prove 
a  trial  ground  for  the  bibliomaniac.  No  search  better  re 
pays  the  labor  and  money  expended.  So  little  valued,  or 
known,  are  these  periodicals  that,  though  priceless  as  con 
taining  original  Poe  contributions,  they  bring  no  price. 
For  this  reason  the  rich  collector  has  no  incentive  for  in 
vading  this  field,  though  he  may  pay  enormous  sums  for 
second  rate  and,  to  coming  generations,  unknown  English 
writers  whose  works  are  still  esteemed  because  of  some 
association  detail.  It  certainly  is  true  that,  as  it  relates  to 
Poe  and  other  well-known  writers,  Americana  is  neither 
sought,  nor  known,  nor  is  it  held  to  be  of  value.  As  an 
example  of  this,  a  file  of  the  "New  England  Magazine," 
containing  many  of  the  best-known  poems  by  Longfellow, 
Bryant,  Whittier  and,  among  other  items,  Holmes'  first 
two  papers  of  the  Autocrat,  otherwise  unobtainable,  sold  at 


POE:  A  BIBLIOGRAPHIC  STUDY      175 

one  of  our  most  important  sales  of  this  year  for  something 
less  than  two  dollars.  At  the  same  time  three  thousand 
three  hundred  dollars  was  paid  for  Lamb's  "Poetry  for 
Children/*  A  Poe  collection  based  on  first  publications — 
and  the  usual  alternative  is  a  de  luxe  edition — cannot  be 
rapidly  acquired,  and  can  be  found  only  by  delving  into 
the  trash  and  rubbish  heaps  that  contain  the  mouldering 
remains  of  long  dead  magazines. 

It  has  seemed  to  me  a  curious  fact  that  only  in  the  in 
edible  oyster  can  pearls  be  found.  We  find  only  in  these 
discarded  and  defunct  magazines  the  pearls  Poe  so  indis 
criminately  scattered  broadcast. 

Few  times  were  the  choicest  strung  and  in  only  one  or 
two  instances  were  they  mounted  in  individual  settings. 
So  little  appreciated  or  regarded  were  they  that  few  of  these 
jewels  survive  in  their  original  state,  and  because  of  this 
scarcity  Poe's  earliest  and  consequently  least  worthy 
work  has  become  the  most  expensive  of  all  Americana, 
while  those  which  best  deserve  such  a  monetary  tribute  are 
either  lost  or  are  held,  financially  speaking,  valueless. 

Nor  is  the  price  placed  on  Poe's  youthful  work  of  recent 
date.  In  the  April,  1903,  number  of  the  Book-Lover, 
Louis  Northorp,  in  discussing  the  prices  of  Americana, 
gives  some  idea  of  the  interest  excited  by  the  auction  of 
a  Poe  item : 

The  rarest  of  all  first  editions  of  American  poetry  is  Tamerlane 
and  other  Poems  which  is  the  actual  first  edition  of  Poe's  poems  ever 
published.  That  little  book  of  forty  pages  has  become  the  rarest  book 
in  the  world.  For  more  than  sixty  years  one  copy  only  was  known  to 
exist — an  imperfect  one  in  the  British  Museum.  In  1892  another  copy 
was  announced  in  the  catalog  of  a  Boston  book  auctioneer.  Excite 
ment  ran  high  among  collectors  to  secure  this  unique  volume.  Before 
the  sale  $500  should  have  been  looked  upon  as  a  good  price  for  it. 
When  the  little  paper-covered  volume  was  brought  under  the  hammer, 
an  unusual  excitement  was  manifested  in  the  auction-room.  The  bid 
ding  was  lively  and  advanced  rapidly  from  $100  to  $500;  when  $1000 


176      POE:  A  BIBLIOGRAPHIC  STUDY 

was  reached,  there  was  a  pause  for  a  moment,  but  soon  the  bids  came 
briskly  again,  until  the  much  coveted  volume  was  knocked  down  for 
the  astonishing  price  of  $1875. 

...  To  show  how  impossible  it  is  to  predict  the  future  value  of  a 
rare  book,  I  will  add  that  last  year  the  first  edition  of  Poe's  Poems 
brought  the  unparalleled  price  of  $2050  at  auction;  the  second  edition 
(Baltimore,  1829)  brought  $1300,  while  the  original  brown  paper  copy 
of  The  Murders  in  the  Rue  Morgue  fetched  $1000.  Twenty-five  years 
ago  a  friend  of  mine  picked  up  a  copy  of  Poe's  poems,  (New  York  1 83 1 
edition)  for  twenty-five  cents.  Thinking  to  improve  the  appearance  of 
the  shabby  board  binding  my  friend  had  the  original  covers  removed 
and  had  it  rebound  in  full  Russia.  The  Vandal ! 

Last  year  a  cousin  of  Edgar  A.  Poe  disposed  of  this  book  at  private 
sale  for  $150,  about  one-fifth  of  its  actual  value. 

Poe's  work  in  the  original  covers,  are  worth  their  weight  in  gold. 
Every  first  edition  of  his  work  is  eagerly  bought  at  fabulous  prices. 

Possibly  it  would  have  added  to  Northorp's  surprise 
could  he  have  looked  forward  seventeen  years  to  the  day 
when  Tamerlane  sold  at  auction  for  $11,600: — a  matter 
to  which  I  shall  again  refer. 

But  not  all  of  Poe's  work,  certainly  not  the  best,  is  thus 
eagerly  sought  for,  nor,  if  sought  for,  can  it  be  found. 

The  "Southern  Literary  Messenger,"  and  the  "Broad 
way  Journal,"  both  edited  by  Poe,  and  to  which  he  con 
tributed  all  that  was  best  in  him  and  in  them,  are  for  this 
reason  of  distinct  literary  value.  Though  they  had  a  wide 
circulation,  now  they  are  rarely  found.  Many  of  the  less 
pretentious  periodicals  to  which  Poe  contributed  have 
been  so  long  out  of  circulation  that  they  have  become 
practically  extinct.  Of  one  magazine,  in  which  Poe  won  his 
first  recognition,  Harrison  says:  "In  spite  of  the  large  cir 
culation  of  The  Baltimore  Saturday  Visiter,'  not  a  single 
file  of  it  is  known  to  exist." 

Woodberry  says  that  no  copy  of  "The  Flag  of  Our 
Union",  which  contained  a  few  Poe  items,  can  be  found 
and,  as  far  as  I  know,  there  is  only  one  copy  of  the  "Dollar 
Newspaper"  in  existence.  For  these  reasons  it  may  seem  to 


POE:  A  BIBLIOGRAPHIC  STUDY      177 

be  a  hopeless  task  to  attempt  a  complete  Poe  collection. 
Even  those  magazines  known  to  have  survived,  and  which 
occasionally  can  be  found,  are  of  such  rare  occurrence  that 
Poe  bibliographers  do  not  give  them  even  their  proper 
titles,  and  have  been  seriously  in  error  as  to  their  contents. 

None  of  the  reasons  assigned  deter  the  bibliomaniac  and, 
though  the  hunt  may  be  in  obscure  corners,  and  is  often 
barren  of  result,  it  only  adds  zest  to  the  search. 

Once  upon  a  time  I  remember  to  have  read  a  story  re 
garding  a  virtuoso  who  collected  ceramics.  He  had  em 
ployed,  as  curator,  a  man  noted  for  his  ability  to  judge  of 
what  was  rare  and  for  his  indefatigable  industry  in  hunting 
out  all  that  had  made  this  collection  notable.  When  this 
collector  died  he  left  to  his  curator  not  only  all  his  treasures, 
but  also  a  vast  fortune  with  which  to  house  and  care  for 
them.  The  curator  continued  his  search  until  he  was  in 
possession  of  all  the  desirable  pieces  the  world  contained. 
Thereupon  not  only  did  he  cease  collecting  but  he  com 
menced  a  dispersal  of  that  which  he  had  held  so  precious, 
although  he  allowed  no  two  specimens  of  his  faience  to  go  to 
the  same  buyer.  When  he  could  not  dispose  of  a  piece  for 
what  it  was  supposed  to  be  worth  he  sold  it  for  whatever 
was  offered.  Rumor  finally  became  a  certainty:  serious 
flaws,  blemishes  and  counterfeits  had  been  found  in  this 
so  highly  regarded  collection.  One  vase  that  had  been  its 
chief est  treasure  he  gave  to  a  wandering  huckster  as  un 
worthy  of  price.  He  scattered  every  article  that  had  con 
stituted  this  collection  till  no  vestige  of  it  remained. 

Now  a  new  energy  possessed  him.  His  step  became  elas 
tic,  the  rose  again  bloomed  in  his  cheek  and  his  old-time 
vigor  reasserted  itself.  He  was  seen  searching  the  high 
ways  and  delving  in  the  byways.  He  rummaged  in  the  hid 
den  corners  and  sought  out  the  old  shops — avoiding  only 
those  denominating  themselves  "fie  Antique  iHjoppe;"  for 
nothing  of  interest  is  ever  found  there. 


178      POE:  A  BIBLIOGRAPHIC  STUDY 

He  was  often  seen  returning  home  laden  with  disre 
putable-looking  bundles,  yet  he  carried  them  most  tenderly. 
At  last  he  disappeared.  When  found  in  his  garret  where  he 
had  evidently  lived  parsimoniously  and  where  he  had  died 
apparently  of  starvation,  he  was  surrounded  by  his  rarest 
treasures,  and  in  his  dead  hand  was  held  the  vase  that  had 
been  the  aim  and  end  of  his  tireless  search. 

For  those  who  do  not  have  to  save  hard-earned  money, 
and  who  do  not  have  to  deny  certain  appetities,  and  who 
are  not  compelled  to  scrimp  and  plan,  the  real  joy  of  book 
collecting  does  not  exist.  I  do  not  envy  the  man  who  can 
indulge  in  the  Shakespeare  Folios,  or  who  can  afford  to 
pay  $2,000,000  for  a  library,  even  if  it  contain  the  rarest 
of  first  editions,  illuminated  manuscripts,  Incunabula, 
Caxtons  et  omne  id. 

Personal  memories,  founded  on  boyhood  experience, 
have  taught  me  the  danger  of  satiety.  I  remember  that,  as 
a  small  boy  living  in  the  backwoods  of  Alabama,  Sunday 
was  a  gala  day  and  I  longed  for  its  coming  as  does  the 
parched  traveler  for  the  desert  oasis.  This  was  not  for 
reasons  religious,  but  because  on  that  day  the  Circuit  Rider 
was  entertained  at  dinner,  and  hot  biscuits  with  yellow- 
legged  chicken  were  always  served.  For  the  whole  week 
during  which  I  had  waited  for  this  feast,  my  throat  had 
been  scratched  by  the  rough  corn-pone. 

In  times  more  recent,  when  hot  biscuit  and  fried  chicken 
were  within  my  daily  command,  I  turned  from  them  and 
again  welcomed  the  despised  pone. 

I  am  certain  that  my  lone  and  imperfect  Caxton  gave 
me  greater  mental  exhilaration  and  bibliophile  joy  than 
any  wholesale  acquisition  of  the  rarest  bibliographical 
treasures  could  have  brought  me. 

Over-rapidly  acquired  and  without  full  time  for  their 
absorption  these  rarities  are  sure  to  give  mental  indiges 
tion.  Unless  you  can  feel  the  thrill  of  accomplishment 


POE:  A  BIBLIOGRAPHIC  STUDY      179 

which  possesses  you  when  some  long  sought  treasure  has 
been  captured,  the  first  and  greatest  pleasure  of  book-col 
lecting  is  not  for  you. 

I  remember,  when  Aldines  were  still  the  vogue,  I  found 
a  "Juvenalis  et  Persis",  dated  MDI,  with  the  straight  anchor, 
in  spite  of  the  fact  that  MDII  has  been  assigned  as  the 
date  when  the  anchor  was  first  used.  I  threw  this  Aldine  to 
one  side  with  other  discarded  trash  and,  during  the  next  few 
visits  to  the  shop,  forgot  its  existence.  Finally,  when  I  had 
reduced  the  patient  dealer  to  exhaustion,  my  hand  again 
sought  this  Aldine,  but  only  for  the  purpose  of  pointing 
out  certain  defects  that  were  in  evidence.  After  severely 
criticising  its  dilapidated  though  original  vellum  cover, 
finding  certain  wormholes  in  its  uncut  pages,  and  animad 
verting  on  the  continued  existence  of  a  book  printed  in  a 
language  long  dead  and  that  but  few  could  now  read,  I 
demanded  his  reason  for  trying  to  sell  something  so  use 
less,  and  ended  with  an  inquiry  as  to  what  he  thought  a 
book  of  this  kind  was  really  worth.  In  sarcasm  an  extremely 
small  sum  was  named  which  at  once  I  paid :  or  rather,  I 
threw  the  money  on  the  counter,  clutched  my  bargain,  and 
was  out  and  up  the  street  before  the  amazed  owner  could 
reconsider  his  offer. 

What  this  book  is  worth  I  have  not  the  remotest  idea, 
nor  does  such  a  question  interest  me.  As  for  any  pleasure 
its  contents  has  given  me,  I  am  certain  that  I  overpaid ; 
I  have  never  made  any  attempt  to  read  the  dead  and 
forgotten  language.  Even  could  I,  the  memory  of  the 
drudgery  entailed  in  translating  it,  in  my  long  past  college 
days,  makes  me  know  that  it  would  be  most  stupid  reading. 
Nevertheless,  to  me  this  book  is  a  treasure,  for  it  recalls  one 
of  my  earliest  book  memories :  more  than  this  it  was  the 
beginning  of  my  acquaintance  with  Cowan,  one  of  my  good 
book  friends  and  our  greatest  authority  on  Californiana. 
To  me  its  value  lies  in  the  memory  of  its  acquirement,  and 


180      POE:  A  BIBLIOGRAPHIC  STUDY 

I  have  placed  this  "memory"  among  certain  others — all 
imbedded  in  contiguous  brain  cells.  It  is  these  memories 
which  constitute  my  victory  over  Time  and  Age. 

Years  and  experience  have  taught  me  the  futility  of 
hoarding  riches,  and  the  fallacy  of  believing  that  money, 
alone,  can  either  compensate  or  protect  me  against  the  in 
firmities  of  old  age.  Memories  are  our  defense  and  our 
consolation,  and  I  gather  them  as  eagerly  and  preserve 
them  with  as  much  care  as  does  a  miser  his  gold. 

As  a  specialist,  I  am  often  consulted  by  those  who  are 
breaking  under  the  worry  and  stress  of  business  cares.  At 
once  and  always,  I  attempt  to  recall  and  reestablish  those 
fads  and  diversions  which  will  store  new  memories  outside 
their  business  life.  If  I  can  find  no  "memories,"  and  can 
create  no  new  interests,  then  indeed  is  my  prognosis  bad. 
Golf  may  save  a  few,  but  its  memories  are  trivial — at  least 
my  own  had  best  be  forgotten — hunting  and  fishing  are 
only  for  those  who  are  strong  and  vigorous,  travelling 
bores  many  who  are  unfitted  and  illy  equipped  for  new 
environments,  or  who  prefer  the  comforts  of  home  to  dis 
comforts  and  dust.  I  have  occasionally,  but  with  bad  con 
science,  justified  by  the  condition  of  physical  and  mental 
weakness  I  have  found,  advised  certain  patients  to  major 
on  philately,  as  better  than  no  "mania."  In  whatever 
manner  acquired,  diversion  of  some  kind,  with  its  accom 
panying  memories,  is  essential  to  a  contented  old  age. 

It  was  old  Dame  Julia  who  begun  her 

"{Cretps&e  on  Jfpstfjpnnge" 

with  the  following  corroborative  thought: 

fealaman  in  fjte  parablps  tfaptf)  tfjat  a  goob  tfpprpte 
mafeetf)  a  flourpnge  aege  tfjat  te  a  faprc  acgc  anb  longc 
— anb  3ptf)  it  i&  goe :  3  asfee  tfjte  question?  tofjicfte  ben 
tfte  meaner  &  tfte  cautfeg  tfjat  enbure  a  man  in  a  merp 
spprpte. 


POE:  A  BIBLIOGRAPHIC  STUDY      181 

For  this  reason  do  I  collect  and  treasure  my  memories. 
Many  hundreds  cluster  in  adjacent  brain  cells,  stored  and 
catalogued  and  to  be  used  as  necessity  requires. 

Occasionally  I  have  seen  cattle  grazing,  browsing  and 
still  eating  when  apparently  all  demands  of  appetite  had 
been  satisfied.  Then  I  have  seen  them  seek  some  shady  and 
secluded  spot  where  they  rested  and  chewed  the  cud  of  con 
tentment,  thus  setting  an  example  of  wisdom  that  we 
humans  might  well  imitate. 

For  these  reasons  I  welcomed  the  hunt.  As  much  as  pos 
sible  avoiding  the  modern  collections,  except  as  guides 
because  of  unfamiliarity,  I  sought  in  the  highways  and 
the  byways :  occasionally  my  reward  was  proportionate  to 
the  energy  I  expended.  The  really  good  things  of  Poe  still 
sell  for  a  song.  Others  are  expensive  and  may  only  be  ac 
quired  by  those  who  can  properly  pitch  the  note.  In  my 
search  I  ransacked  most  of  the  cities,  haunted  the  auction 
rooms,  patronized  the  "Publisher's  Weekly,"  and  searched 
the  Americana  of  our  catalogs,  but  with  only  meager 
results. 

As  a  rule  my  inquiries  were  received  with  a  vacant 
stare ;  or,  from  some  old  and  wise  book-dealer,  a  pitying 
shake  of  the  head  as  if  I  were  seeking  the  wraith  of  one  long 
dead,  or  were  attempting  to  resurrect  the  figure  of  an 
antedeluvian  which  had  not  left  even  a  pedal  bone  as  a 
guide  for  reconstruction. 

It  was  not  at  all  certain  that  some  of  these  dealers  ever 
had  heard  of  'The  Yankee,"  except  as  a  generic  term :  from 
my  persistent  inquiries  they  seemed  to  think  that  it  was  of 
my  own  ancestry  I  was  seeking  information.  They  had 
heard  of  a  "Saturday  Visitor,"  but  did  not  know  any 
thing  about  a  "Baltimore  Saturday  Visiter."  If  there  were 
one  it  was  not  on  sale  in  New  York. 

When  I  asked  for  a  "Flag  of  our  Union,"  they  respect 
fully  raised  their  hat,  as  a  token  of  regard  for  my  loyalty, 


182      POE:  A  BIBLIOGRAPHIC  STUDY 

but  there  was  nothing  under  it;  all  they  could  suggest  was 
a  military  supply  store  across  the  street. '  'Saturday  Evening 
Posts"  could  be  found  by  the  million  but  they  were  all 
dated  1917,  whereas  the  one  I  wanted  was  the  issue  of 
November  27,  1841.  My  quest  for  the  "Philadelphia  Sat 
urday  Museum"  was  equally  unavailing.  They  had  heard 
of  a  Museum  in  Philadelphia,  but  they  assured  me  that  it 
did  not  compare  with  the  Metropolitan  and,  as  far  as  they 
knew,  it  contained  only  the  Liberty  Bell — and  that  was 
cracked.  They  had  never  heard  it  called  the  "Philadelphia 
Saturday  Museum",  but  it  might  be,  for  the  Phila- 
delphians  were  a  law  unto  themselves,  and  it  was  entirely 
possible  that  they  had  selected  this  for  their  day  of  exhi 
bition.  And  so  it  was  with  a  dozen  other  publications 
known  to  contain  Poe  contributions.  Possibly  they  had 
been  destroyed,  or  had  been  sold  to  some  junk  dealer.  Few 
can  now  be  found.  I  am  sure  that  a  copy  of  the  "Union" 
lies  hidden  away  in  some  attic,  for  all  could  not  have  been 
destroyed.  There  is  a  treasure  trove  and  happy  is  he  who 
can  uncover  one  of  these  old  volumes.  It  is  not  difficult  to 
find  Gifts,  Opals,  Visitors,  and  other  fancifully  named  An 
nuals  for,  as  parlor  table  ornaments,  they  were  the  mode  in 
those  days.  Usually  they  were  bound  in  leather,  black 
being  the  color  most  frequently  chosen,  as  it  corresponded 
with  the  horsehair-covered  furniture  then  in  vogue.  The  Poe 
articles  have]  added  but  slightly  to  their  cost  although, 
except  for  the  Cheney  engravings,  Poe's  contributions  give 
them  their  only  value. 

Somewhere  there  is  a  "Philadelphia  Dollar  Newspaper" 
containing  Poe's  prize  story,  The  Gold  Bug.  Sooner  or  later 
I  shall  find  it.  Possibly,  in  time,  I  may  stumble  on  a  file  of 
"The  Baltimore  Saturday  Visiter,"  and  if  I  do  not,  I  know 
where  one  volume  of  its  remains  can  be  found.  It  is  in  the 
possession  of  descendants  of  the  original  editor — an  heir 
loom  such  as  a  Virginian  will  never  sell.  All  financial  offers 


POE:  A  BIBLIOGRAPHIC  STUDY      183 

properly  have  been  refused,  for  no  one  worthy  of  this 
treasure  would  have  so  desecrated  it.  Yet  if  enthusiasm 
and  "ways  and  means"  fail  to  accomplish  that  which  has 
hitherto  proved  to  be  an  impossible  achievement,  the 
never-dying  hope  that  chance  will  discover  a  "find"  still 
animates  me,  and  I  may  yet  add  this  treasure  to  the  wan 
derers  I  have  already  gathered  in. 

Should  I  succeed  in  these  final  discoveries,  they  will  very 
nearly  fill  my  list  of  long  advertised  "wants,"  and  in  case 
my  realization  results  in  loss  of  interest,  it  may  be  possible 
a  collector,  equally  enthusiastic,  will  fall  heir  to  the  distri 
bution.  It  is  certain  that  I  shall  never  willingly  see  them 
entombed  in  some  rich  man's  library,  or  buried  in  a  gen 
eral  "Museum."  I  have  always  regarded  approvingly  a 
quotation  which  formerly  was  printed  on  the  cover  of  an 
auction  catalog.  It  was  extracted  from  the  will  of  Edmond 
de  Goncourt : 

My  wish  is  that  my  Drawings,  my  Prints,  my  Curiosities,  my 
Books — in  a  word,  these  things  which  have  been  the  joy  of  my  life — 
shall  not  be  consigned  to  the  cold  tomb  of  a  museum,  and  be  subjected 
to  the  stupid  glance  of  the  careless  passerby :  but  I  require  that  they 
shall  all  be  dispersed  under  the  hammer  of  the  Auctioneer,  so  that  the 
pleasure  which  the  acquirement  of  each  one  of  them  has  given  me 
shall  be  given  again,  in  each  case,  to  some  inheritor  of  my  own  tastes. 

For  some  years  it  was  my  custom  to  borrow  a  certain 
book  when  I  found  myself  in  bibliological  difficulty  regard 
ing  Americana.  At  that  time  I  had  found  no  copy  for 
sale,  or  there  were  other  and  good  reasons  for  its  non- 
acquirement.  It  has  long  been  out  of  print  and  its  cost  has 
doubled  many  times  (at  a  recent  auction  sale  it  brought 
$52.50),  but  its  value  remains.  I  refer  to  that  Americana 
bibliography  compiled  by  our  Nestor  of  Bookmen,  P.  K. 
Foley.  It  was  my  desire  to  drink  at  the  fountain-source 
but  to  do  this  a  trip  to  Boston  was  necessary.  Although  it 
was  my  first  visit,  I  neither  inquired  for  the  Column  nor 


184      POE:  A  BIBLIOGRAPHIC  STUDY 

glanced  at  the  Common,  in  spite  of  the  fact  that  it  had 
been  the  favorite  walk  of  the  Autocrat. 

With  some  trepidation  I  proceeded  to  a  shop  in  an  un 
frequented  street  and  made  myself  and  my  errand  known. 
This  shop  is  not  a  "Book  Emporium",  but  it  is  what  all 
good  shops  should  be;  cluttered  from  floor  to  ceiling  with 
rare  Americana.  There  is  nothing  like  it,  except  possibly 
Spencer's,  in  London.  My  reception  was  kindly,  although  it 
threatened  to  be  barren  of  result.  In  fact,  had  I  come  a  few 
weeks  earlier,  Mr.  Foley  could  have  aided  me  greatly.  His 
Poe  seemed  not  to  be  appreciated,  and  certain  Thackeray 
items  were  in  greater  demand  on  the  other  side:  accord 
ingly  he  had  packed  all  of  his  Poe  and  Thackeray  for  ship 
ment  to  England.  After  a  moment's  thought,  Mr.  Foley 
ceased  to  dwell  on  the  items  composing  this  shipment  and 
reverted  to  topics  less  depressing.  Surely  what  he  had  to 
show  fully  compensated  me  for  the  time  and  energy  ex 
pended  on  this  trip:  and  to  be  allowed  to  listen  to  the 
kindly  voice,  wise  in  book  lore,  and  to  watch  the  twinkle 
responsive  to  my  book  enthusiasm,  was  alone  worth  the 
visit. 

I  found  no  ignorance  and  obtained  much  helpful  advice. 
He  knew  of  those  inedible  oysters  and  had  found  many  of 
the  pearls,  but  knowing  that  they  were  not  appreciated 
here,  he  had  ceased  offering  them,  and,  for  this  reason, 
he  had  prepared  them  for  shipment  to  the  other  side. 

Mr.  Foley  urged  me  to  call  on  the  following  morning,  as 
he  might  in  the  meantime  find  something  to  justify 
another  day's  stay.  Personally  I  should  have  considered 
myself  well  repaid  by  being  allowed  to  partake  of  the 
crumbs  that  fell  from  such  a  table.  When  I  did  call  I  found 
a  reason  more  substantial.  It  was  not  "The  Oblong  Box" 
but  a  wooden  one,  open  and  partly  unpacked ;  and  it  con 
tained  all  the  Thackeray  and  Poe  items  mentioned  the 
previous  day,  the  loss  of  which  had  not  contributed  to  the 


POE:  A  BIBLIOGRAPHIC  STUDY      185 

soundness  of  my  night's  rest.  This  case  had  been  over 
looked  and  forgotten  till  the  world-war  prevented  ship 
ment.  I  shall  not  here  dwell  on  the  Thackeray  items, 
although,  for  the  first  time,  I  found  a  complete  "Cor 
sair"  containing  the  Thackeray  "Letters  from  Paris", 
which  later  were  republished  under  the  title  "The  Stu 
dent's  Quarter",  as  well  as  many  other  early  American 
reproductions  of  Thackeray's  works. 

Among  other  Poe  items  was  "The  Yankee,"  containing 
the  first  of  Poe's  magazine  contributions ;  also  a  letter  in 
which  he  poured  out  his  boyish  heart,  indulging  in  day 
dreams  and  building  air-castles  which  do  not  always  come 
true  as  they  did  for  him.  It  was  here  I  found  my  first  com 
plete  "Broadway  Journal."  I  had  a  Journal,  but  it  lacked 
that  last  and  frequently  missing  number — January  3,  1846, 
— in  which  Poe  bade  farewell  "as  cordially  to  foes  as  to 
friends",  and  which  was  the  last  appearance  of  this,  so  often 
sung,  swan-song.  And  there  were  other  periodicals  and 
publications  of  vast  assistance  in  turning  my  meager 
gleanings  into  complete  collections.  Of  the  very  early 
magazines,  outside  "The  Yankee,"  I  could  get  no  trace, 
and  it  was  only  after  Mr.  Foley  kindly  enlightened  me 
that  I  began  to  realize,  the  very  great  difficulty  of  my 
quest.  No  one  had  seemed  interested,  and,  as  a  consequence, 
there  had  been  no  demand  for  the  earlier  magazines  con 
taining  Poe's  original  contributions.  I  found  that  Wood- 
berry's  bibliography,  so  accurately  copied  from  that  of 
Harrison's,  while  showing  an  intelligent  understanding,  was 
not  altogether  reliable;  for  it  was  not  in  all  points  founded 
on  definite  and  first-hand  knowledge.  Hearsay  evidence 
is  not  always  admissible. 

Except  in  the  "Southern  Literary  Messenger,"  the  1839- 
1840  "Gentleman's,"  "Graham's,"  and  the  "Broadway 
Journal,"  all  of  which  Poe  edited,  only  isolated  articles  can 
be  found ;  and  these  are  scattered  in  so  many  unknown  and 


186      POE:  A  BIBLIOGRAPHIC  STUDY 

unobtainable  magazines,  and  often  so  many  years  separate 
their  appearance  in  any  one  magazine,  that  a  complete 
collection  becomes  a  formidable  task.  At  least  it  becomes  a 
game  for  the  bibliomaniac — not  for  the  plethoric  and 
gentlemanly  collector  who  sits  quietly  in  his  counting 
house  paying  out  thousands  of  dollars  for  signed  Shelleys, 
unknown  Lambs,  and  unread  Keats  items,  imagining 
that  he  has  become  a  real,  red-blooded  book  collector.  He 
is  merely  a  book  speculator.  Such,  necessarily,  leave  Poe  to 
the  book-hound :  or,  if  they  do  collect  him,  it  is  in  some  de 
luxe  edition,  deformed  by  horrible  illustrations  in  which  the 
artist,  having  no  conception  of  Poe's  real  insight  into  the 
human  heart,  and  the  spirit  that  ruled  him  in  his  deline 
ation  of  that  human  soul,  so  evanescent  and  ill-grasped 
except  by  the  sensitives  among  us,  attempts  to  delineate 
Poe's  thought  by  some  horror  or  grotesque.  Their  book 
shelves  may  be  ornamented  by  some  limited  edition  in 
the  sumptuous  bindings  with  which  Poe  publishers  usually 
encase  his  works.  Surely  a  full  collection,  in  the  assorted 
garments  in  which  the  many  owners  have  arrayed  these 
various  magazines,  is  a  formidable  undertaking  and  a  for 
bidding  sight,  and  one  that  would  not  please  the  dilettanti. 
To  the  student  of  literature  these  magazines  are  of  the 
greatest  interest;  for  authoritatively  they  measure  the 
capacity  of  the  many  authors  that  flourished  in  those  days, 
whose  work  was  eagerly  sought,  and  constituted  the  pabu 
lum  on  which  our  fathers  were  fed  and  mentally  were 
nourished.  Also  they  are  made  resplendent  by  "illumina 
tions,"  showing  the  fashion  plates  that  rendered  our  an 
cestors  so  gorgeous,  and  which  are  still  sought  and  collected 
as  curiosities.  As  a  rule  their  owners  are  none  the  wiser  if, 
concealed  in  their  pages,  is  to  be  found  some  of  the  best  of 
Poe's  works.  Do  many  possessors  of  the  1838  "Baltimore 
Book"  know — or  care — that  Slope  lies  hidden  in  its  pages? 
Possibly  for  this  reason  we  find,  occasionally,  certain  Poe 


POE:  A  BIBLIOGRAPHIC  STUDY      187 

items  preserved,  not  for  their  Poe  associations,  but  because 
of  engravings  and  other  embellishments.  Where  this  has 
not  been  the  case,  the  hunt  is  far  more  difficult;  and, 
though  years  have  been  occupied  in  the  search,  there  are 
still  lacunae  in  my  collection  that  may  never  be  filled. 

There  are  compensations.  I  well  remember  when  a  very 
competent  book  dealer  accepted  my  offer  of  one  dollar  and 
fifty  cents — the  final  and  ultimate  bargain  price,  slowly  and 
hesitatingly  raised  from  seventy-five  cents, — and  I  be 
came  the  possessor  of  a  copy  of  'The  American  Whig  Re 
view",  which  is  credited  with  not  only  the  first  appearance 
of  The  Raven,  from  which  other  journals  borrowed  it  with 
due  credit,  but  many  other  Poe  contributions,  and  also 
some  of  the  very  best  articles  by  writers  still  well  known. 
What  this  dealer  paid  for  this  rather  important  Poe  item  is 
a  matter  for  microscopical  investigation. 

Certain  other  magazines  were  arrived  at  after  a  far 
greater  expenditure,  but  I  have  a  memory  so  well  trained 
and  so  conveniently  constituted  that  I  have  entirely  for 
gotten  the  sordid  business  details.  The  fact  seems  to  be 
that  dealers  began  to  realize  that  I  wanted  these  maga 
zines,  for  my  inquiries  had  been  frequent,  insistent  and 
demandful ;  and,  having  once  taken  advantage  of  my  in 
nocence,  their  prices  at  times  became  exorbitant.  I  had 
dreamed  of  a  complete '  'Southern  Literary  Messenger' '  for  a 
very  few  dollars,  but,  as  I  remember,  the  price  I  paid  was 
somewhat  in  excess  of  my  anticipations.  Finally,  paying 
whatever  was  demanded,  several  years  were  necessary 
to  gather  my  Poe  collection,  still  incomplete,  yet  one 
of  the  few  in  existence  because  not  many  have  felt  the 
"urge". 

In  my  Poe  life  of  search  and  research  there  is  a  third 
occasion  that  I  take  pleasure  in  recalling.  It  was  on  a 
recent  visit  to  Chicago,  that  "City  of  Dreadful  Night",  yet 
I  was  separated  from  all  its  narrowness  of  streets  and  over- 


188      POE:  A  BIBLIOGRAPHIC  STUDY 

crowded  thorofares,  its  terrifying  commercialism,  and  was 
up  many  stories,  gossiping  with  that  most  intelligent  of 
bookmen,  Walter  Hill.  As  usual,  I  was  reminiscent,  dwell 
ing  on  my  book  memories,  and  had  sought  this  interview, 
knowing  that  Mr.  Hill  was  as  great  a  book-lover  as  he 
was  a  book-dealer.  If  I  found  nothing  rare  or  curious,  or 
that  could  satisfy  my  special  "wants,"  I  knew  I  would 
nevertheless  depart  the  richer  for  my  visit.  Book  knowl 
edge  may  be  gained  only  by  absorption.  As  the  leech  looks 
for  its  nourishment  to  the  occasional  demands  of  necessi 
tous  victims,  so  do  we  book-collectors  attach  ourselves  to 
those  who  live  with,  and  in,  books;  and,  when  we  are  ap 
parently  on  a  mission  of  benevolence,  as  a  matter  of  fact 
we  are  absorbing  knowledge  and  gleaning  information  that 
only  long,  varied  and  intimate  intercourse  with  books  can 
give. 

By  chance  the  name  of  Poe  slipped  in,  and,  as  I  dilated 
on  the  difficulties  of  my  search,  Mr.  Hill  listened  sympa 
thetically.  He,  also,  invited  me  to  come  back  on  the  follow 
ing  morning.  While  making  no  definite  promise,  he  told 
me  of  a  book  that  for  some  years  he  had  greatly  treasured 
and  which  he  had  never  included  in  his  book  lists;  nor  had 
he  associated  it  with  his  commercial  work.  He  had  held  it 
as  his  peculiar  possession.  When  I  called  again  it  was  no 
wooden  box  that  I  found,  but  a  book  royally  cased  and 
protected. 

In  spite  of  my  confidence  in  the  exhibitor,  I  had  exper 
ienced  so  many  disillusionment^  and  disappointments, 
where  these  preliminaries  were  most  in  evidence,  that  I 
unconsciously  hesitated,  fearing,  if  not  a  jewelled  binding, 
at  least  some  Sangorski  "creation,"  or  some  flamboyant 
production  such  as  often  impresses  the  book-collector,  if 
not  the  book-lover. 

Not  long  ago  I  saw  one  of  these  jewelled  bindings  which 
enclosed  the  4th  Omar.  I  quote  from  the  sale  catalog : 


POE:  A  BIBLIOGRAPHIC  STUDY      189 

In  the  center  of  the  panel  is  a  garnet  with  an  outer  circle  of  16  peri 
dots;  also  four  peridots  are  set  in  the  strap-work  border.  The  floral 
designs  on  a  solid  back  ground  of  gold  are  in  vari-colored  inlays  with 
14  garnets  set  in  the  margin.  .  .  .  Doublures  of  red  levant  morocco, 
with  a  rich  geometric  design  in  gold,  and  blue  inlays,  and  an  outer 
chain  border,  flys  of  maroon  levant  morocco,  etc. 

And  this  grotesque  brought  $300.  If  Omars  are  wanted, 
why  not  get  an  Omar?  I  know  a  library  containing  a  col 
lection  of  Omars,  each  one  of  which  is  a  necessary  member 
of  the  whole,  and  to  handle  each,  and  to  fondle  each,  is  a 
pleasure  that  is  understandable  only  to  a  bibliophile.  The 
eldest  is  royally  housed  and  cased,  and  this  covering 
is  justified  because  it  holds  an  Omar  in  its  original  paper 
cover,  now  so  precious  that  it  should  be  looked  at  through 
glass,  and  should  never  be  touched  by  a  desecrating  hand. 
It  is  clean,  fresh,  and  unsoiled  and  certainly  was  not 
among  those  which  Quaritch,  in  despair  of  finding  a  pur 
chaser,  exposed  on  his  two-penny  shelf.  Then  there  is  the 
second,  not  quite  so  immaculate,  but  equally  rare  and  even 
more  precious.  It  is  in  its  original  paper  cover  which  bears 
this  inscription: 


The  third  is  a  necessary  member  of  the  whole,  for  it 
gives  evidence  of  many  changes  which  the  man,  who  so 
humbly  inscribes  himself  as  "translator,"  felt  it  wise  to 
make.  For  the  first  time  it  has  put  off  its  swaddling- 
clothes  and  is  garbed  in  conventional  covers. 

This  collection  can  only  be  completed  by  the  fourth  and 
definitive  edition.  As  the  fourth  is  the  one  for  common  use, 
it  should  be  dressed  in  its  every-day  working  garb,  not 
tricked  out  in  finery  that  no  book-lover  would  touch  —  not, 
however,  for  reasons  which  render  the  first  untouchable. 

While  this  completes  the  essential  Omars,  there  is 
another  that  may  not  be  overlooked.  Vedder  caught  the 


190      POE:  A  BIBLIOGRAPHIC  STUDY 

spirit,  and,  of  all  who  have  made  the  attempt,  his  pencil 
alone  was  guided  by  the  same  inspiration  that  begot  this 
poem — translated  it  was  not.  The  copy  of  Vedder  accom 
panying  this  group,  happens  to  be  an  extremely  early, 
fresh,  and  brilliant  collection  of  these  drawings. 

Three  hundred  for  a  rebound  4th  Omar!  No  wonder 
the  vandal  book-profiteers  remember  the  finger  prints,  and 
continue  to  deluge  our  "collectors."  Like  to  the  Like! 

I  well  remember  some  book-loving  salesman  in  Dodd, 
Mead  and  Co.,  driven  to  violent  protestations  when  his 
lady  customer,  who  had  just  purchased  a  first  edition  of 
the  "Leaves  of  Grass," — the  book  was  both  printed  and 
bound  by  Whitman  and  a  sloppy  mess  he  made  of  both 
jobs,  in  spite  of  which  they  constitute  its  criterion  of 
value — ordered  off  the  cover,  which  was  unusually  firm  in 
its  hinges,  and  insisted  on  a  blue  crushed  levant  morocco 
binding  that  would  correspond  with  other  of  her  library 
furniture.  It  was  to  be  hand-tooled,  and  undoubtedly  it 
proved  a  very  satisfactory  ornament,  but  she  ruined  the 
strongest  and  best  bound  "Leaves"  I  have  ever  seen. 

Occasionally  some  rare  book  deserves  a  fine  binding. 
I  have  the  first  issue  of  the  first  edition  of  the  "Vicar,"  but 
I  show  it  with  an  anticipatory  shudder,  for  I  know  the 
exclamations  of  delight  its  binding  will  bring  forth  from 
those  who  never  examine  it  to  determine  the  spelling  of 
"Waeckfield."  For  those  who  do,  there  is  another  copy 
which  I  have  to  show.  It  was  published  in  London  and  is  of 
the  same  date  as  the  Salisbury  copy ;  and,  for  all  I  know,  it 
may  antedate  it.  It  is  mentioned  in  no  bibliography  and  I 
have  never  seen  another  copy  advertised  or  described.  It  is 
unknown  and  unfriended,  and  it  was  probably  born,  as  are 
many  other  offspring,  surreptitiously  and  without  any  one 
to  father  it.  No  publisher's  name  gives  it  dignity:  simply 
it  was  ushered  in  with  the  Legend:  "LONDON:  Printed  in 
the  year  M,DCC,LXVI." 


POE:  A  BIBLIOGRAPHIC  STUDY      191 

It  is  in  its  original  binding  and  even  though,  in  appear 
ance  it  is  dogeared  and  dilapidated,  I  take  it  to  my  heart 
and  fondle  it, — possibly  for  the  reason  that  it  looks  so 
friendless  and  forlorn.  At  least  no  binder's  shears  shall  ever 
trim  it ;  nor  shall  its  forehead,  although  gray  and  bedrag 
gled,  ever  be  gilded  and  ironed  out  to  erase  its  legitimate 
wrinkles.  It  is  never  shown  except  to  the  very  few  who 
constitute  the  inner  circle, — and  who  never  exclaim  over 
a  binding. 

Knowing  Mr.  Hill,  I  had  no  right  to  dwell  on  these  dis 
concerting  book  memories,  nor  to  question  the  worth  of 
what  he  had  promised  to  show  me ;  in  spite  of  the  fact  that 
he  had  not  clearly  indicated  the  condition  of  dilapida 
tion  at  which  the  binding  had  now  arrived.  In  ninety  years 
many  things  can  happen  to  one  of  those  poorly  printed 
and  cheaply  bound  board  covers.  For  this  reason  I 
watched  eagerly  as  he  unswathed  this  bibliographical 
foundling.  After  the  removal  of  the  pull-case,  its  primary 
cover  and  its  tissue  container — have  you  ever  plucked  a 
sparrow? — he  showed  me  the  jewel  these  wrappings  en 
closed.  It  was  the  slenderest  of  tomes  and  in  its  pristine 
state;  fresh  in  its  original  binding  and  practically  un 
opened.  Just  why  Mr.  Hill  was  willing  to  part  with  what 
for  years  he  had  regarded  as  his  chief est  treasure,  I  do  not 
know.  Possibly  he  thought  it  was  lonely  for  it  was  the 
oldest  of  the  family — at  least  it  had  been  acknowledged  as 
the  eldest  of  the  legitimate  and  lawful  heirs.  Perhaps 
he  thought  that  it  might  rest  better  among  its  kindred, 
or  it  is  possible,  like  the  hapless  bird,  he  gazed  too  long  on 
the  glittering  eye  of  the  snake  and  was  lost. 

The  book,  the  introduction  to  which  has  so  long  been 
delayed,  proved  to  be  the  long-sought  volume,  "Al  Aaraaf, 
Tamerlane,  and  Minor  Poems."  Nor  can  the  appearance 
it  makes  or  the  dress  in  which  it  is  presented  cause  any 
unfavorable  comment. 


192      POE:  A  BIBLIOGRAPHIC  STUDY 

ALAARAAF,  TAMERLANE,  AND  MINOR  POEMS.  By  Edgar  A. 
Poe.   Baltimore.  Hatch  and  Dunning.  1829. 

Collation:  Title,  Copyright  and  imprint  (quotation,  2  lines).  Half 
title,  (quotation,  1  line).  Dedication:  (quotation,  1  line),  quotation, 
3  lines):  Proem:  Text  pp.  (13)-21.  Half  title,  Part  II.  Text  pp. 
(25)-38.  Half  title:  Advertisement  (two  lines).  Dedication:  Text, 
pp.  (43)-54.  Part  III.  (quotation,  2  lines),  (quotation,  1  line). 
Preface.  Text,  pp.  59-71. 

This  book  was  printed  by  Matchett  and  Woods,  and 
should  carry  their  name,  honorably,  to  future  generations 
of  printers.  While  no  attempt  was  made  to  produce  a 
de  luxe  copy,  a  remarkably  readable  type  was  selected, 
and  the  proof-reading  and  printing  show  painstaking 
care — very  different  from  the  second  edition  of  Poe's 
poems. 

The  paper  selected  has  withstood  the  ravages  of  time 
and  exhibits  none  of  the  foxing  so  characteristic  of  other 
books  printed  at  that  period.  It  is  in  its  original  binding 
and,  although  the  boards  bear  slight  stains,  these  are  due 
to  the  law  of  disintegration  from  which  nothing  is  immune. 
The  margins  are  wide,  the  pages  are  clean,  and  the  book 
bears  no  evidence  of  having  been  often  opened. 

Poe's  quotations  scattered  over  several  pages  indicate  a 
youthful  tendency  toward  the  odd  and  picturesque,  a  ma 
caronic  exhibit  of  wide  reading,  and  a  knowledge  of  books 
exhibiting  learning  not  possessed  by  him.  Among  these 
are: 

Entiendes,  Fabio, — lo  que  voi  deciendo? 
Toma,  si,  lo  entendio: — Mientes,  Fabio. 

What  has  night  to  do  with  sleep? 

COMUS. 

My  nothingness — my  wants — 
My  sins — and  my  contrition — 

SOUTHEY  E  PERSIS 

And  some  flowers — but  no  bays. 

MILTON. 


AT.  A 


TAMERLANE, 


AMD 


MXHOR  PC31CS. 


BY  EB0AB.  A.  *OH, 


BALTIMORE: 

HATCH  &  DUNKING. 
1829. 


194      POE:  A  BIBLIOGRAPHIC  STUDY 

The  dedication  of  the  first  part  is  unique,  being  con 
tained  in  these  lines: 

DEDICATION. 

Who  drinks  the  deepest? — here's  to  him. 

CLEVELAND. 

Preceding  Al  Aaraaf  and  intended  as  an  explanation  of 
the  subject  matter  of  the  poem  is  this  quotation: 

A  star  was  discovered  by  Tycho  Brahe  which  burst  forth,  in  a 
moment,  with  a  splendor  surpassing  that  of  Jupiter— then  gradually 
faded  away  and  became  invisible  to  the  naked  eye. 

The  arrangement  of  the  contents  is  as  remarkable  as 
is  this  dedication,  and  the  explanatory  and  other  quota 
tions  are  equally  original.  At  times  they  are  unexplainable. 
Al  Aaraaf  is  divided  into  two  parts,  each  prefaced  by  a 
half  title;  the  second  division,  technically  the  third  part, 
has  a  separate  dedication  with  half  title  and  quotations. 
This  third  part  contains  Tamerlane  and  Miscellaneous 
Poems  and,  in  proper  form,  is  dedicated  to  John  Neal,  the 
editor  of  "The  Yankee." 

Poe  always  referred  to  this  1829  volume  as  his  first 
edition,  so  that  the  Tamerlane,  printed  in  Boston  in 
1827,  remains  a  bibliographical  puzzle.  It  is  only  to  be  had 
as  a  reprint ;  even  in  this  form,  it  is  not  a  desirable  item, 
such  as  should  have  been  reproduced  when  the  original 
could  not  be  procured.  An  Englishman,  who  was  not  in 
possession  of  the  necessary  literary  vision,  not  only  edited 
this  reprint,  but  attempted  to  improve  the  spelling,  to 
change  the  punctuation  and  to  emend  the  text.  When  it 
was  published  it  was  believed  that  the  copy  of  Tamer 
lane,  belonging  to  the  British  Museum,  from  which  the 
reprint  was  made,  was  unique.  Since  that  time  three  other 
copies  have  been  found. 

The  original  title  page  did  not  contain  Poe's  name  and 
was  simply  arranged. 


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1%      POE:  A  BIBLIOGRAPHIC  STUDY 

TAMERLANE  AND  OTHER  POEMS  By  A  Bostonian  [Quota 
tion]  Boston  Calvin  F.  S.  Thomas.  .  .  Printer  1827. 

The  republication  is  more  verbose. 

TAMERLANE  AND  OTHER  POEMS  By  Edgar  Allan  Poe  First 
published  at  Boston  in  1827  and  now  first  republished 
from  a  unique  copy  of  the  original  edition  with  a  pre 
face  By  Richard  Herne  Shepherd  London  George 
Red  way  MDCCCLXXXIV. 

The  only  reference  to  this  volume  outside  a  publisher's 
list,  is  contained  in  an  advertisement  inserted  into  the  1829 
edition  announcing  that,  for  personal  reasons,  the  first 
issue  had  been  suppressed.  It  certainly  was  not  circulated, 
nor  can  we  unravel  the  mystery  of  its  genesis,  nor  the 
reason  for  its  suppression. 

In  explanation  of  the  changes  made  in  the  republication 
Shepherd  states : 

'There  are  several  palpable  errata,'  as  Mr.  Ingram  has  remarked, 
'in  Edgar  Poe's  first  book.'  These  I  have  thought  it  best  to  correct, 
wherever  they  are  perfectly  obvious  (a  list  of  them  and  of  proposed 
conjectural  emendations  is  appended),  and  I  also  have  reduced  the 
orthography  and  punctuation  to  a  uniform  standard.  The  present  case 
was  not  one  where  a  facsimile  reprint  was  desirable, — the  typography, 
arrangement,  size,  and  general  appearance  of  the  original  edition  being 
unsatisfactory  in  the  extreme. 

As  this  was  supposed  to  be  the  only  copy  in  existence  it 
would  have  been  a  bibliographical  satisfaction  to  have 
been  able  to  secure  an  accurate  reprint  of  the  original 
without  Shepherd's  emendations  and  corrections.  He  has 
republished  it  typographically  improved,  but  it  is  value 
less  as  a  reproduction.  The  redeeming  feature  of  the  one  I 
possess  is  that  it  was  a  presentation  copy  to  Swinburne 
and  bears  the  impress  of  his  ownership.  Unfortunately, 
Swinburne  made  no  emendatory  notes.  In  spite  of  the 
personal  association  possessed  by  this  item  and  the  fact 
that  Shepherd  limited  his  publication  to  one  hundred,  it 
is  valueless  when  compared  with  a  copy  of  the  original, 


POE:  A  BIBLIOGRAPHIC  STUDY      197 

said  to  have  been  improperly  punctuated,  faultily  spelled, 
and  miserably  printed.  When  first  described  no  one  could 
speak  positively  as  to  the  binding,  for  the  one  in  the  British 
Museum  is  without  wrappers.  Another,  also  lacking 
wrappers,  is  in  Philadelphia ;  a  third,  with  wrappers  bound 
in,  is  in  the  Huntington  collection,  while  the  fourth,  "com 
plete  with  wrappers  and  untouched  by  the  binder," — 
what  greater  recommendation  can  the  outside  of  any  book 
possess? — was  in  the  recent  Halsey  sale.  This  is  the  copy 
to  which  reference  already  has  been  made  and  which  was  in 
the  McKee  sale  of  1900,  where  it  brought  the  sum  of 
$2050.  It  was  immediately  resold  for  $2550.  It  was  this 
same  copy  that,  in  the  Halsey  sale,  February,  1919, 
brought  $1 1,600 — an  unheard  of  price  for  even  the  highest 
valued  Americana.  It  is  now  in  the  Huntington  collection, 
but  it  is  hardly  possible  that  even  Mr.  Huntington  will 
countenance  this  duplication,  enormous  as  are  his  powers 
of  appropriation,  deglutition  and  absorption.  Assuredly, 
sooner  or  later,  indigestion,  or  at  least  difficult  assimila 
tion,  again  will  put  one  of  these  in  circulation. 

Nothing  is  definitely  known  concerning  Calvin  F.  S. 
Thomas  except  that  this  name  is  printed  as  publisher  on 
the  first  Tamerlane.  Thomas  is  said  to  have  lived  in  Boston 
and  it  is  presumed  that  he  was  a  printer,  but  no  other  book 
bearing  his  imprint  has  been  found.  There  is  no  record 
showing  that  he  did  live  in  Boston,  when  he  left,  or  where 
he  went.  There  have  been  many  attempts  to  elucidate  these 
obscure  points,  and  much  research  has  been  given  to  a 
solution  of  this  riddle.  Certain  of  Poe's  biographers  have 
regarded  it  as  a  vital  question  and  they  have  made  many 
ingenious  explanations.  It  is,  like  much  else  that  relates  to 
Poe's  early  life,  a  matter  of  conjecture.  The  interesting 
thing  to  determine  is  Poe's  reason  for  printing  this  volume, 
for  withdrawing  it  from  circulation,  and  for  not  publish 
ing  it. 


198      POE:  A  BIBLIOGRAPHIC  STUDY 

I  can  find  no  authority  for  Harrison's  statement : 

This  precious  little  volume,  only  forty  copies  of  which  are  said  to 
have  been  printed,  was  published  by  the  nineteen-year  old  printer, 
Calvin  F.  S.  Thomas,  then  living  in  Boston.  Thomas  afterwards 
moved  west  and  died,  probably  in  Springfield,  Mo.,  in  1876,  without 
being  aware  that  he  had  ushered  into  the  world  the  most  unique  speci 
men  of  American  poetic  genius. 

Possibly  Harrison  confounded  the  number  issued  with 
the  number  of  pages  it  is  said  to  have  contained. 

Woodberry,  the  most  painstaking  of  Poe  biographers,  in  a 
letter  to  Shepherd  published  in  the  reproduced  Tamerlane, 
offered  the  following  solution: 

Of  the  original  edition  Mr.  Ingram  states  that  he  has  a  copy,  and 
thinks  it  unique  because  Poe  stated  that  the  edition  was  suppressed. 
I  do  not  think  it  was  suppressed,  however,  and  as  you  may  be  inter 
ested  in  the  matter  I  extend  this  note.  The  printer,  Mr.  Calvin  F.  S. 
Thomas,  was  a  very  obscure  man,  who  had  a  printer's  shop  at  Boston 
in  that  year ;  I  have  sought  through  all  the  Thomas  families  of  Massa 
chusetts,  Maine,  Rhode  Island,  Maryland,  Ohio,  etc.,  to  which  he  was 
likely  to  belong,  and  there  is  no  trace  of  him.  I  can  find  no  other  book 
with  his  imprint.  Consequently  I  suppose  the  edition  to  have  been 
small  and  obscure.  It  was  published  between  June  and  October,  1827, 
probably  in  June.  It  was  not  noticed  or  advertised,  apparently,  but  it 
occurs  in  the  North  American  Review's  quarterly  list  of  new  publica 
tions,  in  the  October  number,  1827.  How  Poe,  a  youth  of  eighteen,  in  a 
strange  city,  friendless  and  penniless  as  he  was,  persuaded  this  un 
known  printer  to  issue  this  volume,  is  a  mystery  to  me.  I  have  talked 
with  old  men,  and  have  had  the  printers  and  publishers  who  survive 
from  that  time  interrogated,  but  though  Boston  was  a  small  town,  no 
one  knew  Thomas  or  ever  heard  of  him.  You  may  be  sure,  how 
ever,  that  the  Mr.  Ingram  who  seems  to  own  Poe,  is  wrong  in  believing 
that  the  volume  was  only  printed,  and  not  published.  Poe  left  Boston 
in  October  of  that  year. 

Yet  Woodberry,  who  certainly  knows  his  Poe,  ignores 
the  fact  that  it  was  Poe  himself  who,  in  his  1829  Tamerlane, 
announced  this  suppression. 

ADVERTISEMENT. 

ThU  Poem  was  printed  for  publication  in   Boston,  in  the  year 
1827,  but  suppressed  through  circumstances  of  a  private  nature, 

It  is  certain  that,  except  for  this  advertisement,  Poe 


POE:  A  BIBLIOGRAPHIC  STUDY      199 

neither  at  the  time  he  published  Al  Aaraaf,  nor  later  in 
1831,  nor  in  1845,  when  the  final  and  definitive  edition 
was  published,  recognized  or  referred  to  this  1827  publica 
tion.  It  is  to  C.  F.  S.  Thomas,  the  boyhood  friend  of  Poe, 
that  Woodberry  attributes  this  volume. 

The  abundant  alloy  in  the  substance  of  the  work,  however,  and  the 
rudeness  of  its  execution  justly  condemned  the  volume  to  speedy 
oblivion.  It  brought  neither  fame  to  the  poet  nor  money  to  the 
printer,  and  shortly  after  its  publication  Thomas  removed  to  New 
York.  Neither  in  his  stay  in  that  city  nor  during  his  later  life  in  Buf 
falo,  New  York,  and  Springfield,  Missouri,  did  Thomas,  who  lived 
until  1876,  ever  mention,  either  in  his  own  family  or,  so  far  as  is 
known,  to  his  friends  or  associates,  that  his  first  venture  in  the  book- 
trade  was  Poe's  verses.  In  view  of  this  fact,  in  connection  with  the 
general  publication  of  reminiscences  by  all  who  were  ever  well 
acquainted  with  Poe,  and  the  special  interest  of  this  obscure  portion 
of  his  life,  it  may  be  safely  inferred  that  Thomas  never  identified  the 
first  author  he  knew  with  the  famous  poet  who  wrote  The  Raven.' 

Neither  Thomas  nor  his  family  remembered  these  poems 
as  having  been  published  by  him,  nor  so  far  as  has  been 
ascertained,  was  he  at  any  time  in  the  publishing  business 
elsewhere.  In  1876  Poe  was  too  well  known,  and  too  many 
reminiscences  had  been  recalled,  for  so  important  an 
association  to  have  been  forgotten.  It  may  have  been 
that  this  publication  was  the  result  of  Poe's  love  for 
"mystification,"  and  that  for  this  reason  he  used  the  name 
of  his  boyhood  friend. 

Why  Poe  suppressed  this  volume  is  the  real  mystery — 
if  mystery  there  be.  Possibly  the  key  is  contained  in  the 
preface  to  Tamerlane. 

The  greater  part  of  the  Poems  which  compose  this  little  volume 
were  written  in  the  year  1821-2,  when  the  author  had  not  completed 
his  fourteenth  year.  They  were  of  course  not  intended  for  publication; 
why  they  are  published  now  concerns  no  one  but  himself.  Of  the 
smaller  pieces  very  little  need  be  said ;  they  perhaps  savour  too  much 
of  egotism ;  but  they  were  written  by  one  too  young  to  have  any  knowl 
edge  of  the  world  but  from  his  own  breast. 

In  Tamerlane  he  has  endeavored  to  expose  the  folly  of  even 
risking  the  best  feelings  of  the  heart  at  the  shrine  of  Ambition.  He  is 
conscious  that  there  are  many  faults  (besides  that  of  the  general  char- 


200      POE:  A  BIBLIOGRAPHIC  STUDY 

acter  of  the  poem),  which  he  flatters  himself  he  could,  with  little 
trouble,  have  corrected,  but  unlike  many  of  his  predecessors,  has  been 
too  fond  of  his  early  productions  to  amend  them  in  his  old  age. 

It  is  apparent  that  this  matter  of  revision,  to  which  Poe 
thus  jokingly  alluded,  was  not  altogether  persiflage.  It  is 
possible,  when  he  saw  the  printed  volume,  and  found  it  as 
unsatisfactory  as  Shepherd  believed  it  to  have  been,  that 
he  reconsidered  and  seriously  attempted  a  very  complete 
revision.  In  the  version  published  in  1829  hardly  a  stanza 
remains  unaltered,  and  it  is  difficult  to  recognize  similarity 
in  the  two  poems  except  as  two  versions  with  the  same 
general  theme.  To  illustrate,  I  quote  and  parallel  as  much 
of  the  two  poems  as  will  serve  to  elucidate  this  suggestion. 


1827 

I 

"I  have  sent  for  thee,  holy  friar; 
But  'twas  not  with  the  drunken  hope, 
Which  is  but  agony  of  desire 
To  shun  the  fate,  with  which  to  cope 
Is  more  than  crime  may  dare  to  dream, 
That  I  have  call'd  thee  at  this  hour: 
Such,  Father,  is  not  my  theme — 
Nor  am  I  mad,  to  deem  that  power 
Of  earth  may  shrive  me  of  the  sin 
Unearthly  pride  hath  revell'd  in — 
I  would  not  call  thee  fool,  old  man, 
But  hope  is  not  a  gift  of  thine; 
If  I  can  hope  (O  God!  I  can) 
It  falls  from  an  eternal  shrine. 

II 

The  gay  wall  of  this  gaudy  tower 
Grows  dim  around  me — death  is  near. 
I  had  not  thought,  until  this  hour 
When  passing  from  the  earth,  that  ear 
Of  any,  were  it  not  the  shade 
Of  one  whom  in  life  I  made 
All  mystery  but  a  simple  name, 
Might  know  the  secret  of  a  spirit 
Bow'd  down  in  sorrow,  and  in  shame. — 
Shame,  said'st  thou? 

Ay,  I  did  inherit 

That  hated  portion,  with  the  fame, 
The  worldly  glory,  which  has  shown 
A  demon-light  around  my  throne, 
Scorching  my  sear'd  heart  with  a  pain 
Not  Hell  shall  make  me  fear  again. 


1829 

1 

"Kind  solace  in  a  dying  hour! — 
Such,  father,  is  not  (now)  my  theme — 
I  will  not  madly  deem  that  power 
Of  Earth  may  shrive  me  of  the  sin 
Unearthly  pride  hath  revell'd  in — 
I  have  no  time  to  dote  or  dream: 
You  call  it  hope — that  fire  of  fire! 
It  is  but  agony  of  desire: 
If  I  can  hope— Oh  God!  I  can — 
Its  fount  is  holier — more  divine — 
I  would  not  call  thee  fool,  old  man, 
But  such  is  not  a  gift  of  thine. 


Know  thou  the  secret  of  a  spirit 
Bow'd  from  its  wild  pride  into  shame. 
O!  Yearning  heart!  I  did  inherit 
Thy  withering  portion  with  the  fame, 
The  searing  glory  which  hath  shone 
Amid  the  jewels  of  my  throne. 
Halo  of  Hell!  and  with  a  pain 
Not  Hell  shall  make  me  fear  again — 
O!  craving  heart!  for  the  lost  flowers 
And  sunshine  of  my  summer  hours! 
Th*  undying  voice  of  that  dead  time, 
With  its  interminable  chime, 
Rings,  in  the  spirit  of  a  spell. 
Upon  thy  emptiness — a  knell. 


POE:  A  BIBLIOGRAPHIC  STUDY      201 


in 

I  have  not  always  been  as  now — 
The  fever'd  diadem  on  my  brow 
I  claim'd  and  won  usurpingly — 
Ay — the  same  heritage  hath  given 
Rome  to  the  Caesar — this  to  me; 
The  heirdom  of  a  kingly  mind — 
And  a  proud  spirit,  which  hath  striven 
Triumphantly  with  human  kind. 


3 

I  have  not  always  been  as  now : 
The  fever'd  diadem  on  my  brow 
I  claim'd  and  won  usurpingly — 
Hath  not  the  same  fierce  heirdom  given 
Rome  to  the  Caesar — this  to  me? 
The  heritage  of  a  kingly  mind, 
And  a  proud  spirit  which  hath  striven 
Triumphantly  with  human  kind. 


In  mountain  air  I  first  drew  life; 
The  mists  of  the  Taglay  have  shed 
Nightly  their  dews  on  my  young  head ; 
And  my  brain  drank  their  venom  then, 
When  after  day  of  perilous  strife 
With  chamois,  I  would  seize  his  den 
And  slumber,  in  my  pride  of  power, 
The  infant  monarch  of  the  hour — 

For,  with  the  mountain  dew  by  night, 
My  soul  imbibed  unhallow'd  feeling; 
And  I  would  feel  its  essence  stealing 
In  dreams  upon  me — while  the  light 
Flashing  from  cloud  that  hover'd  o'er, 
Would  seem  to  my  half  closing  eyes 
The  pageant  of  monarchy! 
And  the  deep  thunders  echoing  roar 
Came  hurriedly  upon  me,  telling 
Of  war,  and  tumult,  where  my  voice, 
My  own  voice,  silly  child!  was  swelling 
(O  how  would  my  wild  heart  rejoice 
And  leap  within  me  at  the  cry) 
The  battle  cry  of  victory ! 


On  mountain  soil  I  first  drew  life: 
The  mists  of  the  Taglay  have  shed 
Nightly  their  dews  upon  my  head, 
And,  I  believe,  the  winged  strife 
And  tumult  of  the  headlong  air 
Hath  nestl'd  in  my  very  hair. 


So  late  from  Heaven — that  dew — it  fell 
('Mid  dreams  of  an  unholy  night) 
Upon  me — with  the  touch  of  Hell, 
While  the  red  flashing  of  the  light 
From  clouds  that  hung,  like  banners, 

o'er 

Appeared  to  my  half-closing  eye 
The  pageantry  of  monarchy, 
And  the  deep  trumpet-thunder's  roar. 
Of  human  battle,  where  my  voice, 
My  own  voice,  silly  child ! — was  swelling 
(O!  how  my  spirit  would  rejoice, 
And  leap  within  me  at  the  cry) 
The  battle-cry  of  Victory ! 


IV 

The  rain  came  down  upon  my  head 
But  barely  shelter'd — and  the  wind 
Pass'd  quickly  o'er  me — but  my  mind 
Was  maddening — for  'twas  man  that 

shed 

Laurels  upon  me — and  the  rush 
The  torrent  of  the  chilly  air 
Gurgled  in  my  pleased  ear  the  crush 
Of  empires,  with  the  captive's  Prayer, 
The  hum  of  suitors,  the  mix'd  tone 
Of  flattery  round  a  sovereign's  throne. 

XVII 

I  reach'd  my  home — my  home  no  more — 
For  all  was  flown  that  made  it  so — 
I  pass'd  from  out  its  mossy  door, 
In  vacant  idleness  of  woe. 
There  met  me  on  its  threshold  stone 
A  mountain  hunter,  I  had  known 
In  childhood,  but  he  knew  me  not. 
Something  he  spoke  of  the  old  cot: 
It  had  seen  better  days,  he  said; 


The  rain  came  down  upon  my  head 
Unshelter'd — and  the  heavy  wind 
Was  giant  like — so  thou,  my  mind! — 
It  was  but  man,  I  thought,  who  shed 
Laurels  upon  me:  And  the  rush — 
The  torrent  of  the  chilly  air 
Gurgled  within  my  ear  the  crush 
Of  empires — with  the  captive's  prayer — 
The  hum  of  suitors — and  the  tone 
Of  flattery  'round  a  sovereign's  throne. 

22 

I  reach'd  my  home — my  home  no  more — 
For  all  had  flown  who  made  it  so — 
I  pass'd  from  out  its  mossy  door, 
And,  tho'  my  tread  was  soft  and  low, 
A  voice  came  from  the  threshold  stone 
Of  one  whom  I  had  earlier  known — 
O!  I  defy  thee,  Hell,  to  show 
On  beds  of  fire  that  burn  below. 
An  humbler  heart — a  deeper  wo— 


202      POE:  A  BIBLIOGRAPHIC  STUDY 

XVII  (continued)  23 

There  rose  a  fountain  once,  and  there          Father,  I  firmly  do  believe — 
Full  many  a  fair  flower  raised  its  head :       I  know — for  Death  who  comes  for  me 
But  she  who  rear'd  them  was  long  dead,      From  regions  of  the  blest  afar, 
And  in  such  follies  had  no  part,  Where  there  is  nothing  to  deceive, 

What  was  there  left  me  now?  despair —      Hath  left  his  iron  gate  ajar, 
A  kingdom  for  a  broken-heart.  And  rays  of  truth,  you  cannot  see 

Are  flashing  thro'  Eternity — 
I  do  believe  that  Eblis  hath 
A  snare  in  cv'ry  human  path — 
Else  how,  when  in  the  holy  grove 
I  wandered  of  the  idol,  Love, 
Who  daily  scents  his  snowy  wings 
With  incense  of  burnt  offerings 
From  the  most  unpolluted  things, 
Whose  pleasant  bowers  are  yet  so  riven 
Above  with  trellaced  rays  from  Heaven 
No  mote  may  shun — no  tiniest  fly 
The  lightning  of  his  eagle  eye — 
How  was  it  that  Ambition  crept, 
Unseen,  amid  the  revels  there, 
Till  growing  bold,  he  laughed  and  leapt 
In  the  tangle  of  Love's  very  hair? 

In  the  1827  version,  Tamerlane  is  divided  into  seventeen 
stanzas,  while,  in  the  one  of  1829,  where  all  is  revised  and 
much  is  omitted,  there  are  twenty-three.  It  is  difficult  to 
follow  the  story,  which  is  deficient  in  ideas,  declamatory  in 
style,  and  without  continuity  of  plot. 

The  conclusions  are  verbally  dissimilar  and  are  equally 
senseless  as  a  denouement  of  the  plot. 

My  theory  as  to  Poe's  reason  for  suppressing  the  first 
Tamerlane  would  be  more  credible  had  he  not  revised  and 
published  this  second  version.  If  the  first  had  been  written 
when  Poe  was  fourteen,  much  could  have  been  forgiven, 
especially  the  suppression:  but  this  second  publication 
must  have  been  rewritten,  and  he  was  twenty  when  it  was 
published. 

The  solution  of  this  question  is  probably  very  simple— 
as  simple  as  was  the  method  Columbus  adopted  for  forcing 
an  egg  to  stand  on  its  end.  Poe's  financial  inability  to  pay 
debts  contracted  was  always  a  marked  feature  of  his 
business  ventures;  unfriended  and  unknown  as  he  un 
doubtedly  was  at  this  time,  there  might  have  arisen  an 
acute  financial  crisis  which  prevented  the  payment  of 


POE:  A  BIBLIOGRAPHIC  STUDY      203 

obligations  he  had  assumed.  If  this  be  a  fact  the  real 
explanation  is  simple,  and  the  conclusions  are  not  difficult 
to  draw.  It  seems  unfortunate  that  the  Baltimore  printers 
were  not  equally  insistent  in  their  demands.  Personally, 
the  last  version  pleases  me  no  better  than  the  first,  and  the 
final  stanzas  seem  a  most  impotent  and  lame  conclusion 
to  a  story  lacking  in  narrative,  and  without  historical  foun 
dation  or  metrical  skill.  Poe's  reputation  would  not  have 
been  diminished  had  he  destroyed  all  copies  of  the  first  and 
had  he  not  rewritten  and  published  his  chosen  edition. 

Not  one  of  the  poems  of  the  first  volume  was  repub- 
lished  verbatim  in  the  second.  Though  a  few  retain  the 
same  title,  they  are  so  thoroughly  emended  that  they 
appear  to  have  been  fully  rewritten,  and  they  retain  but 
slight  traces  of  their  original  phraseology.  Only  two  of  these 

poems  were  republished  practically  unaltered:  "To ," 

beginning  "I  saw  thee  on  thy  bridal  day," — a  rather  pre 
cocious  production  for  a  boy  of  fourteen — and  The  Lake. 

To  illustrate  the  care  with  which  Poe  recast,  and  the 
thoroughness  with  which  he  rewrote  the  poems  he  believed 
worthy  of  reproduction,  I  give  both  versions  of  a  poem 
originally  called  Visit  of  the  Dead,  in  the  1829  version 
christened  Spirits  of  the  Dead. 

VISIT  OF  THE  DEAD  SPIRITS  OF  THE  DEAD 

Thy  soul  shall  find  itself  alone —  Thy  soul  shall  find  itself  alone 

Alone  of  all  on  earth — unknown  'Mid  dark  thoughts  of  the  grey  tomb- 
The  cause — but  none  are  near  to  pry  stone — 

Into  thine  hour  of  secrecy.  Not  one,  of  all  the  crowd,  to  pry 

Be  silent  in  that  solitude,  Into  thine  hour  of  secrecy: 

Which  is  not  loneliness — for  then  Be  silent  in  that  solitude 

The  spirits  of  the  dead,  who  stood  Which  is  not  loneliness — for  then 

In  life  before  thee,  are  again  The  spirits  of  the  dead  who  stood 

In  death  around  thee,  and  their  will  In  life  before  thee  are  again 

Shall  then  o'ershadow  thee — be  still:  In  death  around  thee — and  their  will 

For  the  night,  tho'  clear,  shall  frown;  Shall  overshadow  thee:  be  still. 

And  the  stars  shall  look  not  down  The  night — tho'  clear — shall  frown — 

From  their  thrones,  in  the  dark  heaven,  And  the  stars  shall  look  not  down 

With  light  like  Hope  to  mortals  given,  From  their  high  thrones  in  the  Heaven, 

But  their  red  orbs,  without  beam,  With  light  like  Hope  to  mortals  given — 

To  thy  withering  heart  shall  seem  But  their  red  orbs,  without  beam, 

As  a  burning,  and  a  fever  To  thy  weariness  shall  seem 

Which  would  cling  to  thee  for  ever.  As  a  burning  and  a  fever 

Which  would  cling  to  thee  for  ever : 


204      POE:  A  BIBLIOGRAPHIC  STUDY 

But  'twill  leave  thee.  as  each  star  Now    are    thoughts    thou    shalt    not 

In  the  morning  light  afar  banish — 

Will  fly  thee — and  vanish :  Now  are  visions  ne'er  to  vanish — 

But  its  thought  thou  canst  not  banish.      From  thy  spirit  shall  they  pass 

The  breath  of  God  will  be  still;  No  more — like  dew-drop  from  the  grass: 

And  the  mist  upon  the  hill  The    breeze — the    breath    of   God — is 

By  that  summer  breeze  unbroken  still — 

Shall  charm  thee — as  a  token,  And  the  mist  upon  the  hill 

And  a  symbol  which  shall  be  Shadowy — shadowy — yet  unbroken, 

Secrecy  in  thee.  Is  a  symbol  and  a  token — 

How  it  hangs  upon  the  trees, 
A  mystery  of  mysteries! — 

Both  of  these  were  omitted  by  Poe  in  the  1845  collection 
of  poems.  While  neither  of  them  were  worthy  of  such  inser 
tion,  they  illustrate  something  of  Poe's  style,  and  give  a 
faint  indication  of  his  future  mastery  of  words  and  versi 
fication.  A  poem  called  the  Evening  Star  was  entirely 
omitted,  although  it  bears  a  close  resemblance  to  Poe's 
later  and  better  work. 

EVENING  STAR. 

Twas  noontide  of  summer, 

And  mid-time  of  night ; 

And  stars,  in  their  orbits, 

Shone  pale,  thro'  the  light 

Of  the  brighter,  cold  moon, 

'Mid  planets  her  slaves, 

Herself  in  the  Heavens, 

Her  beam  on  the  waves. 

I  gazed  awhile 

On  her  cold  smile ; 

Too  cold — too  cold  for  me — 

There  pass'd,  as  a  shroud, 

A  fleecy  cloud, 

And  I  turn'd  away  to  thee, 

Proud  Evening  Star, 

In  thy  glory  afar, 

And  clearer  thy  beam  shall  be; 

For  joy  to  my  heart 

Is  the  proud  part 

Thou  bearest  in  Heaven  at  night, 

And  more  I  admire 

Thy  distant  fire, 

Than  that  colder,  lowly  light. 

All  could  have  been  emended  or  omitted  without  dimin 
ishing  the  reputation  Poe  later  earned. 


POE:  A  BIBLIOGRAPHIC  STUDY      205 

Preceding  the  poems,  under  the  title  "Preface",  the 
poem  now  known  as  Romance  was  published.  This  was 
greatly  amplified  in  the  183 1  edition,  where  Poe  used  it  as 
a  preface  to  his  poems  and  entitled  it  "Introduction". This 
amplification  consisted  in  the  addition  of  several  stanzas 
that  remind  one  of  Milton's  lighter  verse;  certainly  it  has 
no  relation  to  that  of  Poe : 

And  so,  being  young  and  dipt  in  folly 

I  fell  in  love  with  melancholy. 

In  the  1845  edition  the  original  version  was  restored, 
with  the  title  "Romance''. 

The  eleven  explanatory  notes  carried  by  the  1827  edition 
were  omitted  from  that  of  1829;  wisely,  for  they  were 
most  juvenile  in  conception  and  added  nothing  in  the  way 
of  interpretation.  For  instance,  in  explaining  his  reason  for 
using  the  term  "holy  friar",  in  the  first  line  of  Tamerlane, 
Poe,  apparently  in  all  seriousness,  published  this  foot  note : 

How  I  shall  account  for  giving  him  'a  friar'  as  a  death-bed  confes 
sor — I  cannot  exactly  determine.  He  wanted  some  one  to  listen  to  his 
tale — and  why  not  a  friar?  It  does  not  pass  the  bounds  of  possibility — 
quite  sufficient  for  my  purpose — and  I  have  at  least  good  authority  on 
my  side  for  such  innovations. 

To  illustrate  the  humorous  attitude  Poe  occasionally 
assumed,  I  quote  from  his  poem  Fairyland: 

In  easy  drapery  falls 
Over  hamlets,  and  rich  halls, 
Wherever  they  may  be — 
O'er  the  strange  woods — o'er  the  sea — 
Over  spirits  on  the  wing 
Over  every  drowsy  thing — 
And  buries  them  up  quite 
In  a  labarynth  of  light — 
And  then,  how  deep !  O !  deep ! 
Is  the  passion  of  their  sleep! 
In  the  morning  they  arise, 
And  their  mooney  covering 
Is  soaring  in  the  skies, 
With  the  tempests  as  they  toss, 
*Like — almost  any  thing — 
Or  a  yellow  Albatross. 
*Plagiarism — see  the  works  of  Thomas  Moore — passim.     [Edr. 


206      POE:  A  BIBLIOGRAPHIC  STUDY 

At  this  time  Poe  was  in  active  correspondence  with  John 
Neal,  the  editor  of  "The  Yankee,"  to  whom  he  later  dedi 
cated  the  1829  version  of  Tamerlane. 

There  had  appeared  among  the  editorial  notes  reference 
to  communications  received  from  "E.  A.  P."  In  the  No 
vember  number  there  is  another  reference  to  Poe. 

Many  papers  intended  for  this  number  have  been  put  aside  for  the 
next,  from  necessity.  Among  others  are  Night — The  Magician — Un 
published  Poetry  (being  specimens  of  a  book  about  to  be  published  in 
Baltimore),  and  a  long  piece  of  poetry  which  may  or  may  not  appear. 

Evidently  Neal  regarded  these  contributions  hopefully 
and  encouraged  Poe  to  further  effort.  The  December  issue 
contained  a  long  article,  probably  written  by  Neal  to  whom 
had  been  submitted  the  manuscript  of  Poe's  proposed 
book  of  poems. 

The  following  passages  are  from  the  manuscript-works  of  a  young 
author,  about  to  be  published  in  Baltimore.  He  is  entirely  a 
stranger  to  us  but  with  all  their  faults,  if  the  remainder  of  Al 
Aaraaf  and  Tamerlane  are  as  good  as  the  body  of  the  extracts 
here  given — to  say  nothing  of  the  more  extraordinary  parts — 
he  will  deserve  to  stand  high — very  high  in  the  estimation  of  the  shin 
ing  brotherhood.  Whether  he  will  do  so,  however,  must  depend,  not  so 
much  on  his  worth  now  in  mere  poetry,  as  upon  his  worth  hereafter  in 
something  yet  loftier  and  more  generous — we  allude  to  the  stronger 
properties  of  the  mind,  to  the  magnanimous  determination  that 
enables  a  youth  to  endure  the  present,  whatever  the  present  may  be, 
in  the  hope,  or  rather  the  belief,  the  fixed  unwavering  belief,  that 
in  the  future  he  will  find  his  reward.  'I  am  young,'  he  says  in  a  letter 
to  one  who  has  laid  it  on  our  table  for  a  good  purpose,  'I  am  young — 
not  yet  twenty — am  a  poet — if  deep  worship  of  all  beauty  can  make 
me  one — and  wish  to  be  one  in  the  more  common  meaning  of  the 
word.  I  would  give  the  world  to  embody  one  half  the  ideas  afloat  in 
my  imagination.  ...  I  appeal  to  you  as  a  man  that  loves  the  same 
beauty  which  I  adore — the  beauty  of  the  natural  blue  sky  and  the 
sunshiny  earth — there  can  be  no  tie  more  strong  than  that  of  brother 
for  brother — it  is  not  so  much  that  they  love  one  another,  as  that  they 
both  love  the  same  parent — their  affections  are  always  running  the 
same  direction — the  same  channel — and  cannot  help  mingling.  I  am, 
and  have  been,  from  my  childhood,  an  idler.  It  cannot  therefore  be 
said  that 

'I  left  a  calling  for  this  idle  trade 
A  duty  broke — a  father  disobeyed.' 

for  I  have  no  father — nor  mother.' 


THE 


YANKEE; 


AZfO 


BOSTON    LITERARY    GAZETTE. 


Conducted  by  JOHN  NEAfc. 


UTILITY— -The  greatest  happiness  of  the  greatest  number— BENTHA.M. 


AUGUST;    1829. 


NEW  SERIES NO.    I. 


Boston: 

WELLS  AND  LIIXY— COURT^STREET. 

PORTLAND  :  Office  of  JOHN  NEAL,  Congress-Street 

1829. 


208      POE:  A  BIBLIOGRAPHIC  STUDY 

The  poems  to  be  published  are  Al  Aaraaf — Tamerlane — one 
about  four,  and  the  other  three  hundred  lines,  with  smaller  pieces. 
Al  Aaraaf  has  some  good  poetry,  and  much  extravagance,  which  I 
have  not  had  time  to  throw  away.  A/  Aaraaf  is  a  tale  of  another  world 
— the  star  discovered  by  Tycho  Brahe,  which  appeared  and  dis 
appeared  so  suddenly — or  rather,  it  is  no  tale  at  all. 

Very  long  quotations  are  given  both  from  Al  Aaraaf  and 
Tamerlane,  as  well  as  from  some  of  the  Minor  Poems. 
It  was  a  creditable,  if  not  laudatory,  notice,  and  justified 
Poe  in  dedicating  the  Tamerlane  to  Neal.  It  does  not  quite 
explain  the  reason  for  his  peculiar  dedication  of  Al  Aaraaf, 
but  in  all  things,  even  in  his  punctuation,  Poe  was  a  law 
unto  himself.  His  self-assertive  letter  would  serve  as  an 
amusing  instance  of  literary  pride  had  it  not  been  so  fully 
justified  by  his  later  accomplishment. 

So  far  as  is  known  "The  Yankee"  was  the  first  magazine 
to  contain  any  of  Poe's  contributions.  No  contributor 
is  mentioned  by  name,  although  such  indication  is  usually 
made  by  initials.  Two  of  the  poems  contained  in  this  mag 
azine  now  are  attributed  to  Poe.  The  Skeleton  Hand, 
signed  "P.",  bears  some  resemblance  to  the  work  of  Poe, 
aged  14-20.  The  same  redundancy  of  words,  and  ideas 
darkly  hinted,  Poesque  in  conception,  are  the  marks  of 
identification. 

THE  SKELETON-HAND 

Lo !  one  is  on  the  mountain  side, 

While  the  clouds  are  passing  by — 

With  their  black  wings  flapping  heavily, 

Like  eagles  in  the  sky ; 

Or  lying  up  in  the  forest  trees, 

And  waiting  there  for  the  mountain-breeze. 

And  now  he  passes  through  the  clouds — 

And  up  to  the  mountain-top, 

Nor  yet  to  look  at  the  joyous  sun 

Does  the  hasty  traveller  stop. 

But  he  leaped  down  in  the  broken  path 

With  a  step  as  light  and  free — 

As  ever  in  his  days  of  mirth, 


POE:  A  BIBLIOGRAPHIC  STUDY      209 

In  the  dance  and  revelry. 

Why  endeth  he  his  hasty  speed? 

Why  stoppeth  on  his  way? 

In  truth  it  is  a  fearful  thing, 

For  human  tongue  to  say. 

He  fears  that  toward  him  pointeth  there, 

A  fleshless  human  hand ; 

Where  the  mountain  rains  have  swept  away, 

Its  coverings  of  sand; 

That  hand  his  very  soul  doth  stir, 

For  it  proveth  him  a  murderer. 

Ay  long  ago  on  the  mountain  side, 

The  fearful  deed  was  done; 

And  the  murderer  thought  him  safe,  that  none 

Could  see,  save  the  broad  bright  sun, 

As  he  rolled  in  the  heavens  the  dead  above, 

And  flooded  the  earth  with  his  rays  of  love. 

Now  lifted  he  his  clouded  eye, 

To  the  mountain  crests  behind ; 

And  o'er  them  came  the  broad  black  clouds, 

Upheaving  with  the  wind ; 

And  on  them  their  thick  darkness  spread — 

A  crown  upon  the  mountain's  head. 

And  then  shone  out  the  flaming  sun, 

From  the  waters  of  the  sea; 

And  God's  own  bow  came  in  the  clouds, 

And  looked  out  gloriously ; 

But  its  colours  were  of  wo  and  wrath, 

That  threw  their  light  o'er  the  murderer's  path. 

And  now  God's  chariots — the  clouds, 

Came  rolling  down  with  might; 

Their  wheels  like  many  horsemen  were, 

In  battle  or  in  flight. 

And  yet  no  power  to  move  hath  he, 

His  soul  is  in  an  agony. 

Over  the  murderer  and  dead, 

They  rolled  their  mighty  host; 

Old  ocean's  waves  come  not  so  thick, 

By  northern  tempests  tost. 

Forth  from  their  mighty  bosom  came, 

A  flash  of  heaven's  wrath, 

And  away  the  heavy  clouds — and  dun, 

Rolled  from  the  murder-path. 

And  the  sun  shone  out  where  the  murderer  lay, 

Before  the  dead  in  the  narrow  way — 

With  his  hand  all  seared,  and  his  breast  torn  bare — 

God's  vengeance  had  been  working  there. 


210      POE:  A  BIBLIOGRAPHIC  STUDY 

The  Magician  is  with  more  certainty  assigned  to  Poe. 

THE  MAGICIAN* 
Thou  dark,  sea-stirring  storm, 
Whence  comest  thou  in  thy  might — 
Nay — wait,  thou  dim  and  dreamy  form — 
Storm  spirit,  I  call  thee — 'tis  mine  of  right — 
Arrest  thee  in  thy  troubled  flight. 

STORM  SPIRIT 

Thou  askest  me  whence  I  came — 
I  came  o'er  the  sleeping  sea, 
It  roused  at  my  torrent  of  storm  and  flame, 
And  it  howled  aloud  in  its  agony, 
And  swelled  to  the  sky — that  sleeping  sea. 
Thou  askest  me  what  I  met — 
A  ship  from  the  Indian  shore, 
A  tall  proud  ship  with  her  sails  all  set — 
Far  down  in  the  sea  that  ship  I  bore, 
My  storms  wild  rushing  wings  before. 
And  her  men  will  forever  lie, 
Below  the  unquiet  sea ; 
And  tears  will  dim  full  many  an  eye, 
Of  those  who  shall  widows  and  orphans  be, 
And  their  days  be  years — for  their  misery. 
A  boat  with  a  starving  crew — 
For  hunger  they  howled  and  swore; 
While  the  blood  from  a  fellow's  veins  they  drew 
I  came  upon  them  with  rush  and  roar — 
Far  under  the  waves  that  boat  I  bore 
Two  ships  in  a  fearful  fight — 
When  a  hundred  guns  did  flash 
I  came  upon  them — no  time  for  flight — 
But  under  the  sea  their  timbers  crash 
And  over  their  guns  the  wild  waters  dash 
A  wretch  on  a  single  plank — 
And  I  tossed  him  on  the  shore — 
A  night  and  a  day  of  the  sea  he  drank, 
But  the  wearied  wretch  to  the  land  I  bore — 
And  now  he  walketh  the  earth  once  more 

MAGICIAN 

Storm  spirit — go  on  thy  path — 
The  spirit  has  spread  his  wings — 
And  comes  on  the  sea  with  a  rush  of  wrath, 
As  a  war  horse  when  he  springs — 
And  over  the  earth  his  winds  he  flings — 
And  over  the  earth — nor  stop  nor  stay — 
The  winds  of  the  storm  king  go  out  on  their  way. — P. 
*The  punctuation  throughout  is  the  author's — by  desire. 


POE:  A  BIBLIOGRAPHIC  STUDY      211 

While  it  has  not  been  definitely  proved  that  either  The 
Skeleton  Hand  or  The  Magician  were  written  by  Poe,  I 
believe  that  the  evidence,  both  because  of  their  construc 
tion  and  their  signatures,  justifies  such  an  assignment. 
While  these  poems  bear  no  resemblance  in  their  versifica 
tion  or  the  metrical  use  of  words  to  Poe  at  his  best,  in 
my  opinion,  no  poem  written  by  Poe  during  this  period 
foretold  his  later  accomplishment.  In  his  early  poems  many 
words  suffered  elision  and  dashes  were  frequent.  This  Poe 
characteristic  is  noticeably  absent  in  The  Skeleton  Hand, 
and  its  having  been  proof-read  possibly  explains  the  foot 
note  appended  to  The  Magician.  Such  a  request,  odd  and 
unusual,  would  have  been  characteristic  of  Poe. 

POEMS.   By  Edgar  A.  Poe.   Second  Edition.  New  York : 
Published  by  Elam  Bliss.   1831. 

Collation :  Half  Title,  Title,  Contents,  Quotation.  Introductory  Let 
ter  to  Mr. pp.  (13) -29.  Introduction  (Poem)  "Romance"  pp, 

33-36.  Text  39-124. 

This  book  bears  the  inscription  "To  the  U.  S.  Corps  of 
Cadets  this  Volume  is  Respectfully  Dedicated."  It  is  pre 
faced  by  a  letter  containing  Poe's  earliest  creed  as  to  what 
should  constitute  poetry.  It  is  addressed  to  a  mythical 
friend  and,  in  it,  he  not  only  explains  his  poetic  faith,  but 
he  lays  down  his  well  known  dogma  as  to  metaphysical  and 
definitive  poetry;  or  as  he  happily  expressed  this  idea: 
"Music,  when  combined  with  a  pleasurable  idea,  is  poetry; 
music  without  the  idea  is  simply  music;  the  idea  without 
the  music  is  prose  from  its  very  definitiveness." 

Believing  only  a  portion  of  my  first  volume  to  be  worthy  a  second 
edition — that  small  portion  I  thought  it  as  well  to  include  in  the 
present  book  as  to  republish  by  itself.  I  have,  therefore,  herein  com 
bined  Al  Aaraaf  and  Tamerlane  with  other  Poems  hitherto  unprinted. 
Nor  have  I  hesitated  to  insert  from  the  Minor  Poems,  now  omitted, 
whole  lines,  and  even  passages,  to  the  end  that  being  placed  in  a  fairer 
light,  and  the  trash  shaken  from  them  in  which  they  were  imbedded, 
they  may  have  some  chance  of  being  seen  by  posterity.  .  .  . 


212      POE:  A  BIBLIOGRAPHIC  STUDY 

It  has  been  said,  that  a  good  critique  on  a  poem  may  be  written 
by  one  who  is  no  poet  himself.  This,  according  to  your  idea  and  mine 
of  poetry,  I  feel  to  be  false — the  less  poetical  the  critic,  the  less  just 
the  critique,  and  the  converse.  On  this  account,  and  because  there  are 

but  few  B— s  in  the  world,  I  would  be  as  much  ashamed  of  the 

world's  good  opinion  as  proud  of  your  own. 

******** 

I  mentioned  just  now  a  vulgar  error  as  regards  criticism.  I  think  the 
notion  that  no  poet  can  form  a  correct  estimate  of  his  own  writings  is 
another.  I  remarked  before,  that  in  proportion  to  the  poetical  talent, 
would  be  the  justice  of  a  critique  upon  poetry.  Therefore,  a  bad  poet 
would,  I  grant,  make  a  false  critique,  and  his  self-love  would  infallibly 
bias  his  little  judgment  in  his  favor;  but  a  poet,  who  is  indeed  a  poet, 
could  not,  I  think,  fail  of  making  a  just  critique. 

******** 

As  I  am  speaking  of  poetry,  it  will  not  be  amiss  to  touch  slightly 
upon  the  most  singular  heresy  in  its  modern  history — the  heresy  of 
what  is  called  very  foolishly,  the  Lake  School.  .  .  . 

Aristotle,  with  singular  assurance,  has  declared  poetry  the  most 
philosophical  of  all  writing — but  it  required  a  Wordsworth  to  pro 
nounce  it  the  most  metaphysical.  He  seems  to  think  that  the  end  of 
poetry  is,  or  should  be,  instruction — yet  it  is  a  truism  that  the  end  of 
our  existence  is  happiness ;  if  so,  the  end  of  every  separate  part  of  our 
existence — everything  connected  with  our  existence  should  be  still 
happiness.  Therefore  the  end  of  instruction  should  be  happiness ;  and 
happiness  is  another  name  for  pleasure ; — therefore  the  end  of  instruc 
tion  should  be  pleasure:  yet  we  see  the  above  mentioned  opinion 
implies  precisely  the  reverse.  .  .  . 

Poetry,  above  all  things,  is  a  beautiful  painting  whose  tints,  to 
minute  inspection,  are  confusion  worse  confounded,  but  start  boldly 
out  to  the  cursory  glance  of  the  connoisseur.  We  see  an  instance  of 
Coleridge's  liability  to  err  by  reason  of  his  very  profundity,  and  of  his 
error  we  have  a  natural  type  in  the  contemplation  of  a  star.  He  who 
regards  it  directly  and  intensely  sees,  it  is  true,  the  star,  but  it  is  the 
star  without  a  ray — while  he  who  surveys  it  less  inquisitively  is 
conscious  of  all  for  which  the  star  is  useful  to  us  below — its  brilliancy 
and  its  beauty. 


As  to  Wordsworth,  I  have  no  faith  in  him:  that  he  had,  in  youth, 
the  feelings  of  a  poet,  I  believe.  .  .  .  He  was  to  blame  in  wearing 
away  his  youth  in  contemplation  with  the  end  of  poetizing  in  his  man 
hood.  With  the  increase  of  his  judgment  the  light  which  should  make 
it  apparent  has  faded  away.  .  .  .  The  long  wordy  discussions  by 
which  he  tries  to  reason  us  into  admiration  of  his  poetry,  speak  very 
little  in  his  favor:  they  are  full  of  such  assertions  as  this — "Of  genius 
the  only  proof  is  the  act  of  doing  well  what  is  worthy  to  be  done,  and 
what  was  never  done  before" — indeed!  then  it  follows  that  in  doing 


POE:  A  BIBLIOGRAPHIC  STUDY      213 

what  is  unworthy  to  be  done,  or  what  has  been  done  before,  no  genius 

can  be  evinced. 

******** 

What  is  Poetry?  Poetry!  that  proteus-like  idea,  with  as  many 
appellations  as  the  nine-titled  Corcyra !  Give  me,  I  demanded  of  a 
scholar  some  time  ago,  give  me  a  definition  of  poetry?  .  .  .  He  pro 
ceeded  to  his  library,  brought  me  a  Dr.  Johnson,  and  overwhelmed  me 
with  a  definition.  Shade  of  the  immortal  Shakspeare!  I  imagined  to 
myself  the  scowl  of  your  spiritual  eye  upon  the  profanity  of  that  scur 
rilous  Ursa  Major.  Think  of  poetry,  and  then  think  of — Dr.  Samuel 
Johnson !  Think  of  all  that  is  airy  and  fairy-like  and  then  of  all  that  is 
hideous  and  unwieldy ;  think  of  his  huge  bulk,  the  Elephant !  and  then 
— and  then  think  of  the  Tempest — the  Midsummer  Night's  Dream — 

Prospero — Oberon — and  Titania ! 

******** 

A  poem,  in  my  opinion,  is  opposed  to  a  work  of  science  by  having, 
for  its  immediate  object,  pleasure,  not  truth;  to  romance,  by  having 
for  its  object  an  indefinite  instead  of  a  definite  pleasure,  being  a  poem 
only  so  far  as  this  object  is  attained :  romance  presenting  perceptible 
images  with  definite,  poetry  with  indefinite  sensations,  to  which  end 
music  is  an  essential,  since  the  comprehension  of  sweet  sound  is  our 
most  indefinite  conception.  Music,  when  combined  with  a  pleasurable 
idea,  is  poetry ;  music  without  the  idea  is  simply  music ;  the  idea  with 
out  the  music  is  prose  from  its  very  definitiveness. 

To  sum  up  ...  I  have,  dear  B ,  what  you  no  doubt  per 
ceive,  for  the  metaphysical  poets,  as  poets,  the  most  sovereign  con 
tempt. 

The  sentiments  contained  in  this  preface  may  not  fully 
represent  Poe's  mature  opinions,  and  they  certainly  are 
characterized  by  youthful  ebullition,  but  these  beliefs 
were  the  foundation  on  which  Poe  based  the  papers  that 
constituted  his  Literati  and  Marginalia.  Probably  they 
were  essentially  true  for  such  poetry  as  Poe  composed ;  but 
Poe  was  not  a  master  poet. 

In  this  edition,  which  Poe  designated  the  "second  edi 
tion,"  all  of  his  earlier  poems  either  were  rejected  or  so 
altered  as  to  lose  their  identity ;  yet  they  so  clearly  repre 
sent  the  transitional  phase  of  his  genius,  and  so  strongly 
indicate  the  rising  glory  of  his  later  creations,  that  they 
are  worthy  of  being  most  fully  discussed.  The  later  poems, 
those  that  he  believed  might  by  reason  of  their  intrinsic 
merit  have  "some  chance  of  being  seen  by  posterity," 


214      POE:  A  BIBLIOGRAPHIC  STUDY 

were  Israfel,  The  Doomed  City,  later  changed  into  and  re 
named  The  City  by  the  Sea,  Irene,  transformed  into  The 
Sleeper,  A  Paean,  now  known  as  Lenore,  and  The  Valley 
Nis  and  Fairyland,  both  later  suppressed,  or  emended 
almost  beyond  recognition. 

Poe  was  justified  in  his  expressed  belief.  These  poems 
have  now  become  a  part  of  his  best  known  work  and  two 
of  them  rank  among  his  best.  Not  one  of  those  contained 
in  either  the  1827  or  the  1829  volume  ever  are  popularly  re 
called,  and,  when  republished,  are  consigned  to  the  appen 
dices.  While  this  may  not  be  strictly  true  of  Tamerlane  and 
Al  Aaraaf,  the  exception  does  not  invalidate  the  truth  of 
this  statement.  Both  Tamerlane  and  Al  Aaraaf  were  re 
tained,  although  there  were  many  omissions,  emendations 
and  additions.  They  were  not  only  made  to  include  lines, 
but,  also,  whole  poems  formerly  published  under  individual 
titles.  Al  Aaraaf  was  given  a  new  introductory  stanza.  All 
these  changes  and  additions  were  omitted  when  Poe  issued 
his  volume  "The  Raven  and  Other  Poems",  where  he  chose 
the  1829  versions  of  such  of  his  poems  as  he  cared  to  repro 
duce.  Poe  republished  the  1827  version  of  To  Helen  with 
very  few  textual  changes.  These  strengthened  the  effect 
of  the  poem,  although  the  verbal  alterations  were  slight. 
This  poem,  while  bearing  the  same  title  as  that  other 
To  Helen,  which  Poe  composed  under  the  compulsion  of 
his  abnormal  passion  for  Mrs.  Helen  Whitman,  was  also 
inspired  by  his  love  for  the  memory  of  a  woman — the 
original  "Helen."  According  to  Woodberry,  she  was 
Jane  Stith  Stannard,  the  mother  of  a  boyhood  friend 
whom,  as  a  child,  Poe  occasionally  visited.  The  details  of 
this  childhood  love,  and  the  devotion  Poe  displayed  in  his 
worshipful  idealization  of  the  mother-love  given  him,  have 
been  related  by  Mrs.  Whitman  in  her  memoir  of  Poe. 


i 


o 


216      POE:  A  BIBLIOGRAPHIC  STUDY 

While  at  the  academy  in  Richmond,  which  he  entered  in  his 
twelfth  year,  he  one  day  accompanied  a  school  mate  to  his  home, 

where  he  saw  for  the  first  time  Mrs.  H S ,  the  mother  of 

his  young  friend.  This  lady,  on  entering  the  room,  took  his  hand  and 
spoke  some  gentle  and  gracious  words  of  welcome,  which  so  pene 
trated  the  sensitive  heart  of  the  orphan  boy  as  to  deprive  him  of  the 
power  of  speech,  and,  for  a  time,  almost  of  consciousness  itself.  He 
returned  home  in  a  dream,  with  but  one  thought,  one  hope  in  life — to 
hear  again  the  sweet  and  gracious  words  that  had  made  the  desolate 
world  so  beautiful  to  him,  and  filled  his  lonely  heart  with  the  oppres 
sion  of  a  new  joy.  This  lady  afterwards  became  the  confidant  of  all  his 
boyish  sorrows,  and  hers  was  the  one  redeeming  influence  that  saved 
and  guided  him  in  the  earlier  days  of  his  turbulent  and  passionate 
youth.  After  the  visitation  of  strange  and  peculiar  sorrows  she  died, 
and  for  months  after  her  decease  it  was  his  habit  to  visit  nightly  the 
cemetery  where  the  object  of  his  boyish  idolatry  lay  entombed.  The 
thought  of  her — sleeping  there  in  her  loneliness — filled  his  heart  with 
a  profound,  incommunicable  sorrow.  When  the  nights  were  very 
dreary  and  cold,  when  the  autumnal  rains  fell,  and  the  winds  wailed 
mournfully  over  the  graves,  he  lingered  longest  and  came  away  most 
regretfully. 

These  statements  throw  some  light  on  Poe's  early  char 
acteristics,  showing  him  to  have  possessed  amiable  and 
lovable  traits.  Poe  always  longed  for  this  mother-love 
which  the  early  death  of  his  own  mother  had  denied  him. 
Occasionally  he  was  allowed  to  visit  this  friend,  and  Mrs. 
Stannard  lavished  on  Poe  the  same  affection  she  gave  her 
own  son,  and  so  won  him  that  he  gave  her  his  undying  love. 

Mrs.  Whitman  would  not  have  drawn  this  picture  had 
she  not  had  foundation  for  her  statements.  Woodberry's 
unkind  reference  to  this  passage  in  Poe's  life  can  only  be 
explained  by  the  fact  that  "contact  with  the  subject  may 
have  bred  prejudice." 

He  saw  this  lady,  Jane  Stith  Stannard,  but  once.  She  died  April  28, 
1824,  at  the  early  age  of  thirty-one  years;  but  the  tale  that  he  haunted 
her  grave  by  night,  with  all  its  later  Poesque  atmosphere,  must  be 
dismissed.  His  superstitious  sense  was  early  developed  by  darky  tales, 
and  it  was  in  his  shivering  response  to  these  that  the  germinal  terror 
of  his  genius  first  stirred. 

This  assumption  of  Woodberry  is  a  gratuitous  slur  on 
the  memory  of  Poe,  and  is  without  foundation,  nor  will 


POE:  A  BIBLIOGRAPHIC  STUDY      217 

critics  agree  with  him  that  To  Helen  "has  been  over 
praised." 

Mrs.  Whitman  again  refers  to  this  subject : 

It  was  the  image  of  this  lady,  long  and  tenderly,  and  sorrowfully 
cherished,  that  suggested  the  stanzas  "To  Helen"  published  among 
the  poems  written  in  his  youth,  which  Russell  Lowell  says  have  in 
them  a  grace  and  symmetry  of  outline  such  as  few  poets  ever  attain, 
and  which  are  valuable  as  displaying  'what  can  only  be  expressed  by 
the  contradictory  phrase  of  innate  experience  . 

The  following  lines,  taken  from  the  1831  version  of  The 
Valley  Nis,  undoubtedly  refer  to  this  reverential  memory 
of  his  boyhood  friend : 

Helen,  like  thy  human  eye 
There  th'  uneasy  violets  lie — 
There  the  reedy  grass  doth  wave 
Over  the  old  forgotten  grave — 
One  by  one  from  the  tree  top 
There  the  eternal  dews  do  drop — 

It  is  certain  that  through  life  Poe  remained  steadfast  in 
his  love  for  this  mother-memory.  Occasionally,  it  is  neces 
sary  to  make  a  statement  with  a  sanctity  that  not  even 
the  sworn  oath  gives.  Under  such  circumstances  one  will 
necessarily  recall  that  memory  most  sacredly  treasured 
among  the  archives  contained  in  the  Holy  of  Holies:  in 
Poe's  later  life  such  an  occasion  arose  when  he  protested 
to  Mrs.  Shew: 

You  must  know  and  be  assured  of  my  regret  and  sorrow  if  aught  I 
have  ever  written  has  hurt  you.  My  heart  never  wronged  you.  I  place 
you  in  my  esteem — in  all  solemnity — beside  the  friend  of  my  boyhood — 
the  mother  of  my  school-fellow,  of  whom  I  told  you,  and  as  I  have  re 
peated  in  the  poem. 

It  has  been  assumed  that  Lenore  was  a  further  expres 
sion  of  this  boyish  bereavement.  In  its  original  form,  The 
Paean,  it  was  not  in  his  early  collections  nor  does  it  contain 
a  genuine  note  of  grief. 

The  Doomed  City  was  fully  revised  when  Poe  published 
it  under  the  name  of  The  City  by  the  Sea. 


218      POE:  A  BIBLIOGRAPHIC  STUDY 


THE  DOOMED  CITY 

Lo!  Death  hath  rcar'd  himself  a  throne 
In  a  strange  city,  all  alone, 
Far  down  within  the  dim  west — 
And  the  good,  and  the  bad,  and  the 

worst, 

Have  gone  to  their  eternal  rest. 
There  shrines,  and  palaces,  and  towers 
Are— not  like  anything  of  ours — 
O!  no— O!  no — ours  never  loom 
To  heaven  with  that  ungodly  gloom! 
Time-eaten  towers  that  tremble  not ! 
Around,  by  lifting  winds  forgot, 
Resignedly  beneath  the  sky 
The  melancholy  waters  lie. 
A  heaven  that  God  doth  not  contemn 
With  stars  like  a  diadem — 
We  liken  our  ladies'  eyes  to  them — 
But  there!  that  everlasting  pall! 
It  would  be  mockery  to  call 
Such  dreariness  a  heaven  at  all. 
Yet  tho'  no  holy  rays  come  down 
On  the  long  night-time  of  that  town, 
Light  from  the  lurid,  deep  sea 
Streams  up  the  turrets  silently — 
Up  thrones — up  long-forgotten  bowers 
Of  sculptur'd  ivy  and  stone  flowers — 
Up  domes — up  spires — up  kingly  halls — 
Up  fanes — up  Babylon-like  walls — 
Up  many  a  melancholy  shrine 
Whose  entablatures  intertwine 
The  mask— the  viol— and  the  vine. 
There  open  temples — open  graves 
Are  on  a  level  with  the  waves — 
But  not  the  riches  there  that  lie 
In  each  idol's  diamond  eye, 
Not  the  gaily-jewell'd  dead 
Tempt  the  waters  from  their  bed : 
For  no  ripples  curl,  alas! 
Along  that  wilderness  of  glass — 
No  swellings  hint  that  winds  may  be 
Upon  a  far-off  happier  sea : 
So  blend  the  turrets  and  shadows  there 
That  all  seem  pendulous  in  air, 
While  from  the  high  towers  of  the  town 
Death  looks  gigantically  down. 
But  lo!  a  stir  is  in  the  air! 
The  wave!  there  is  a  ripple  there! 
As  if  the  towers  had  thrown  aside, 
In  slightly  sinking,  the  dull  tide — 
As  if  the  turret-tops  had  given 
A  vacuum  in  the  filmy  heaven: 
The  waves  have  now  a  redder  glow — 
The  very  hours  are  breathing  low — 
And  when,  amid  no  earthly  moans, 
Down,  down  that  town  shall  settle  hence, 
Hell  rising  from  a  thousand  thrones 
Shall  do  it  reverence, 
And  Death  to  some  more  happy  clime 
Shall  give  his  undivided  time. 


THE  CITY  BY  THE  SEA 

Lo!  Death  has  reared  himself  a  throne 
In  a  strange  city  lying  alone 
Far  down  within  the  dim  West, 
Where  the  good  and  the  bad  and  the 

worst  and  the  best 
Have  gone  to  their  eternal  rest. 
There  shrines  and  palaces  and  towers 
(Time-eaten  towers  that  tremble  not!) 
Resemble  nothing  that  is  ours. 
Around,  by  lifting  winds  forgot, 
Resignedly  beneath  the  sky 
The  melancholy  waters  lie. 
No  rays  from  the  holy  heaven  come 

down 

On  the  long  night-time  of  that  town ; 
But  light  from  out  the  lurid  sea 
Streams  up  the  turret  silently — 
Gleams  up  the  pinnacles  far  and  free — 
Up  domes — up  spires — up  kingly  halls — 
Up  fanes — up  Babylon-like  walls — 
Up  shadowy  long-forgotten  bowers 
Of  sculptured  ivy  and  stone  flowers — 
Up  many  and  many  a  marvellous  shrine 
Whose  wreathed  friezes  intertwine 
The  viol,  the  violet,  and  the  vine. 
Resignedly  beneath  the  sky 
The  melancholy  waters  lie. 
So  blend  the  turrets  and  shadows  there 
That  all  seem  pendulous  in  air, 
While  from  a  proud  tower  in  the  town 
Death  looks  gigantically  down. 
There  open  fanes  and  gaping  graves 
Yawn  level  with  the  luminous  waves; 
But  not  the  riches  there  that  lie 
In  each  idol's  diamond  eye — 
Not  the  gaily- jeweled  dead 
Tempt  the  waters  from  their  bed ; 
For  no  ripples  curl,  alas! 
Along  that  wilderness  of  glass — 
No  swellings  tell  that  winds  may  be 
Upon  some  far-off  happier  sea — 
No  heavings  hint  that  winds  have  been 
On  seas  less  hideously  serene. 
But  lo,  a  stir  is  in  the  air! 
The  wave — there  is  a  movement  there! 
As  if  the  towers  had  thrust  aside, 
In  slightly  sinking,  the  dull  tide — 
As  if  their  tops  had  feebly  given 
A  void  within  the  filmy  Heaven. 
The  waves  have  now  a  redder  glow — 
The  hours  are  breathing  faint  and  1  ow — 
And  when,  amid  no  earthly  moans, 
Down,   down   that   town  shall   settle 

hence, 

Hell,  rising  from  a  thousand  thrones, 
Shall  do  it  reverence. 


POE:  A  BIBLIOGRAPHIC  STUDY      219 


The  other  poems  contained  in  this  volume,  A  Paean, 
Irene,  and  The  Valley  Nis,  were  so  completely  rewritten 
that,  when  compared  with  their  later  publications,  they 
appear  to  have  completely  lost  their  identity.  The  Paean 
survives  under  the  name  Lenore,  but,  in  my  opinion,  the 
original  version  was  the  better  one ;  at  least  there  was  no 
reference  to  "Guy  de  Vere."  There  is  a  complete  change  of 
versification,  it  is  simpler  in  construction,  and  less  dramatic 
than  is  the  poem  now  known  as  Lenore.  A  short  quotation 
will  exemplify  these  changes : 


THE  PAEAN 

I 
How  shall  the  burial  rite  be  read? 

The  solemn  song  be  sung? 
The  requiem  for  the  loveliest  dead, 

That  ever  died  so  young? 

II 
Her  Friends  are  gazing  on  her, 

And  on  her  gaudy  bier, 
And  weep! — oh!  to  dishonor 

Dead  beauty  with  a  tear! 
They  loved  her  for  her  wealth — 

And  they  hated  her  for  her  pride — 
But  she  grew  in  feeble  health, 

And  they  love  her — that  she  died. 

IV 
They  tell  me  (while  they  speak 

Of  her  "costly  broider'd  pall") 
That  my  voice  is  growing  weak — 

That  I  should  not  sing  at  all — 

V 
Or  that  my  tone  should  be 

Tun'd  to  such  a  solemn  song 
So  mournfully — so  mournfully, 

That  the  dead  may  feel  no  wrong. 

VI 
But  she  is  gone  above, 

With  young  Hope  at  her  side, 
And  I  am  drunk  with  love 

Of  the  dead,  who  is  my  bride. — 


LENORE 


Ah,  broken  is  the  golden  bowl! 

the  spirit  flown  forever! 
Let  the  bell  toll ! — a  saintly  soul 

floats  on  the  Stygian  river; 
And,  Guy  De  Vere,  hast  thou  no  tear? 

weep  now  or  never  more ! 
See!  on  yon  drear  and  rigid  bier 

low  lies  thy  love,  Lenore! 
Come !  let  the  burial  rite  be  read — 

the  funeral  song  be  sung! — 
An  anthem  for  the  queenliest  dead 

that  ever  died  so  young — 
A  dirge  for  her  the  doubly  dead 

in  that  she  died  so  young. 
"Wretches!  ye  loved  her  for  her  wealth 

and  hated  her  for  her  pride, 
"And  when  she  fell  in  feeble  health, 

ye  blessed  her — that  she  died! 
"How  shall  the  ritual,  then,  be  read? — 

the  requiem  how  be  sung 
"By  you — by  yours,  the  evil  eye, — 

by  yours,  the  slanderous  tongue 
"That  did  to  death  the  innocence 

that  died,  and  died  so  young?" 
"Peccavimus;  but  rave  not  thus! 

and  let  a  Sabbath  song 
Go  up  to  God  so  solemnly 

the  dead  may  feel  no  wrong ! 


Israfel,  published  in  183 1 ,  was  republished  in  the  "South 
ern  Literary  Messenger"  for  August,  f!836,with  theomission 
of  one  line  and  a  few  emendations.  Poe  completely  revised 
it  for  the  October,  1841  "Graham's."  It  underwent  further 
emendation  in  the  1845  publication. 


220      POE:  A  BIBLIOGRAPHIC  STUDY 


ISRAFEL* 
(1831  Edition) 

I. 

In  Heaven  a  spirit  doth  dwell 
Whose  heart-strings  are  a  lute — 
None  sing  so  wild — so  well 
As  the  angel  Israfel — 
And  the  giddy  stars  are  mute. 

Tottering  above 

In  her  highest  noon 

The  enamored  moon 

Blushes  with  love — 

While,  to  listen,  the  red  levin 

Pauses  in  Heaven. 

III. 

And  they  say  (the  starry  choir 
And  all  the  listening  things) 
That  Israfeli's  fire 
Is  owing  to  that  lyre 
With  those  unusual  strings. 

IV. 

But  the  Heavens  that  angel  trod 
Where  deep  thoughts  are  a  duty — 
Where  love  is  a  grown  god — 
Where  Houri  glances  are — 
— Stay!  turn  the  eyes  afar! 
Imbued  with  all  thy  beauty 
Which  we  worship  in  yon  star. 

Thou  art  not,  therefore,  wrong 
Israfeli,  who  despisest 
An  unimpassion'd  song; 
To  thee  the  laurels  belong 
Best  bard, — because  the  wisest. 

VI. 

The  extasies  above 
With  thy  burning  measures  suit — 
Thy  grief — if  any — thy  love 
With  the  fervors  of  thy  lute — 
Well  may  the  stars  be  mute! 

VII. 

Yes,  Heaven  is  thine:  but  this 
Is  a  world  of  sweets  and  sours: 
Our  flowers  are  merely — flowers, 
And  the  shadow  of  thy  bliss 
Is  the  sunshine  of  ours. 

VIII. 

If  I  did  dwell  where  Israfel 
Hath  dwelt,  and  he  where  I, 
He  would  not  sing  one  half  as  well — 
One  half  as  passionately, 
And  a  stormier  note  than  this  would 

swell 
From  my  lyre  within  the  sky. 

*And  the  Angel  I  traf el  who  has  the 
sweetest  voice  of  all  God's  creatures. 
Koran. 


ISRAFEL* 

(Graham's  Magazine,  October,  1841) 
In  Heaven  a  spirit  doth  dwell 

"Whose  heart-strings  a  lute;" 
None  sing  so  wildly  well 
As  the  angel  Israfel, 
And  the  giddy  stars  (so  legends  tell) 
Ceasing  their  hymns,  attend  the  spell 

Of  his  voice,  all  mute. 
Tottering  above 

In  her  highest  noon 

The  enamored  moon 
Blushes  with  love, 

While,  to  listen,  the  red  levin 

Pauses  in  Heaven, 

With  the  rapid  Pleiades,  even, 

Which  are  seven. 
And  they  say  (the  starry  choir 

And  the  other  listening  things) 
That  Israfeli's  fire 
Is  due  unto  that  lyre 

By  which  he  sits  and  sings — 
That  trembling  living  lyre 

With  those  unusual  strings. 
But  the  Heavens  that  angel  trod, 

Where  deep  thoughts  are  a  duty — 
Where  Love  is  a  grown  God — 

Where  Houri  glances  are 
Imbued  with  all  the  beauty 

Which  we  worship  in  the  star — 

The  more  lovely,  the  more  far! 
Thou  art  not,  therefore,  wrong 

Israfeli,  who  despisest 
An  unimpassioned  song 
To  thee  the  laurels  belong, 

Best  bard  because  the  wisest. 
Merrily  live,  and  long! 
The  ecstasies  above 

With  thy  burning  measures  suit — 
Thy  grief,  thy  joy,  thy  hate,  thy  love, 

With  the  fervor  of  thy  lute. 

Well  may  the  stars  be  mute! 
Yes,  Heaven  is  thine ;  but  this 

Is  a  world  of  sweets  and  sours — 

Our  flowers  are  merelv — flowers 
And  the  shadow  of  thy  bliss 

Is  the  sunshine  of  ours. 
If  I  did  dwell 
Where  Israfel 

Hath  dwelt,  and  he  where  I, 
He  might  not  sing  one  half  so  well 

One  half  so  passionately, 
While  a  bolder  note  than  this  might 
swell 

From  my  lyre  within  the  sky! 

*And  the  Angel  Israfel,  or  Israfeli, 
whose  heart-strings  are  a  lute,  andwhois 
the  most  musical  of  all  God's  creatures. 
Koran. 


POE:  A  BIBLIOGRAPHIC  STUDY      221 


The  Valley  Nis  survived  only  partially;  in  its  republica- 
tion  it  suffered  the  elision  of  many  lines  and  was  called 
The  Valley  of  Unrest. 


THE  VALLEY  NIS 
(1831  Edition) 

Far  away — far  away — 

Far  away — as  far  at  least 

Lies  that  valley  as  the  day 

Down  within  the  golden  east — 

All  things  lovely — are  not  they 

Far  away — far  away? 

It  is  called  the  valley  Nis. 

And  a  Syriac  tale  there  is 

Thereabout  which  Time  hath  said 

Shall  not  be  interpreted. 

Something  about  Satan's  dart — 

Something  about  angel  wings — 

Much  about  a  broken  heart — 

All  about  unhappy  things: 

But  "the  valley  Nis"  at  best 

Means  "the  valley  of  unrest." 

Once  it  smiled  a  silent  dell 

Where  the  people  did  not  dwell 

Having  gone  unto  the  wars — 

And  the  sly,  mysterious  stars, 

With  a  visage  full  of  meaning, 

O'er  the  unguarded  flowers  were  leaning : 

Or  the  sun  ray  drip'ed  all  red 

Thro'  the  tulips  overhead, 

Then  grow  paler  as  it  fell 

On  the  quiet  Asphodel. 

Now  the  unhappy  shall  confess 

Nothing  there  is  motionless: 

Helen,  like  thy  human  eye 

There  th'  uneasy  violets  lie — 

There  the  reedy  grass  doth  wave 

Over  the  old  forgotten  grave — 

One  by  one  from  the  tree  top 

There  the  eternal  dews  do  drop — 

There  the  vague  and  dreamy  trees 

Do  roll  like  seas  in  northern  breeze 

Around  the  stormy  Hebrides — 

There  the  gorgeous  clouds  do  fly, 

Rustling  everlastingly, 

Through  the  terror-stricken  sky, 

Rolling  like  a  waterfall 

O'er  th'  horizon's  fiery  wall — 

There  the  moon  doth  shine  by  night 

With  a  most  unsteady  light — 

There  the  sun  doth  reel  by  day 

"Over  the  hills  and  far  away." 

Irene  was  later  rewritten  and  renamed  The  Sleeper.  It 
contains  much  that  could  well  have  been  omitted  or  hu 
manized;  also  much  that  characterizes  Poe  at  his  best. 


THE  VALLEY  OF  UNREST 
(Amer.  Whig  Review,  April,  1845.) 

Once  it  smiled  a  silent  dell 

Where  the  people  did  not  dwell ; 

They  had  gone  unto  the  wars, 

Trusting  to  the  mild-eyed  stars, 

Nightly,  from  their  azure  towers, 

To  keep  watch  above  the  flowers 

In  the  midst  of  which  all  day 

The  red  sun-light  lazily  lay. 

Now  each  visiter  shall  confess 

The  sad  valley's  restlessness. 

Nothing  there  is  motionless — 

Nothing  save  the  airs  that  brood 

Over  the  magic  solitude. 

Ah,  by  no  wind  are  stirred  those  trees 

That  palpitate  like  the  chill  seas 

Around  the  misty  Hebrides ! 

Ah,  by  no  wind  those  clouds  are  driven 

That  rustle  through  the  unquiet  Heaven 

Unceasingly,  from  morn  till  even, 

Over  the  violets  there  that  lie 

In  myriad  types  of  the  human  eye — 

Over  the  lilies  there  that  wave 

And  weep  above  a  nameless  grave! 

They  wave: — from  out  their  fragrant 

tops 

Eternal  dews  come  down  in  drops. 
They  weep: — from  off  their  delicate 

stems 

Perennial  tears  descend  in  gems. 
They  wave;  they  weep;  and  the  tears, 

as  they  well 

From  the  depth  of  each  pallid  lilly-bell 
Give  a  trickle  and  a  tr inkle  and  a  knell. 


222      POE:  A  BIBLIOGRAPHIC  STUDY 


IRENE 

Tis  now  (so  sings  the  soaring  moon) 

Midnight  in  the  sweet  month  of  June, 

When  winged  visions  love  to  lie 

Lazily  upon  beauty's  eye, 

Or  worse — upon  her  brow  to  dance 

In  panoply  of  old  romance, 

Till  thoughts  and  locks  are  left,  alas! 

A  ne'er-to-be  untangled  mass. 

An  influence  dewy,  drowsy,  dim. 

Is  dripping  from  that  golden  rim; 

Grey  towers  are  mouldering  into  rest. 

Wrapping  the  fog  around  their  breast: 

Looking  like  Lethe,  see!  the  lake 

A  conscious  slumber  seems  to  take, 

And  would  not  for  the  world  awake: 

The  rosemary  sleeps  upon  the  grave — 

The  lilly  lolls  upon  the  wave — 

And  million  bright  pines  to  and  fro, 

Are  rocking  lullabies  as  they  go, 

To  the  lone  oak  that  reels  with  bliss, 

Nodding  above  the  dim  abyss. 

All  beauty  sleeps:  and  lo!  where  lies 

With  casement  open  to  the  skies, 

Irene,  with  her  destinies! 

Thus  hums  the  moon  within  her  ear, 

"O  lady  sweet!  how  earnest  thou  here? 

"Strange  are  thine  eyelids — strange  thy 

dress 
"And  strange  thy  glorious  length  of 

tress! 

"Sure  thou  art  come  o'er  far-off  seas, 
"A  wonder  to  our  desert  trees! 
"Some   gentle   wind   hath   brought   it 

right 

"To  open  thy  window  to  the  night, 
"And  wanton  airs  from  the  tree-top, 
"Laughingly  thro'  the  lattice  drop, 
"And  wave  this  crimson  canopy, 
"Like  a  banner  o'er  thy  dreaming  eye! 
"Lady,  awake!  lady,  awake! 
"For  the  holy  Jesus'  sake! 
"For  strangely — fearfully  in  this  hall 
"My  tinted  shadows  rise  and  fall!" 
The  lady  sleeps:  the  dead  all  sleep — 
At  least  as  long  as  Love  doth  weep: 
Entranc'd,  the  spirit  loves  to  lie 
As  long  as — tears  on  memory's  eye: 
But  when  a  week  or  two  go  by, 
And  the  light  laughter  chokes  the  sigh, 
Indignant  from  the  tomb  doth  take 
Its  way  to  some  remember 'd  lake, 
Where    oft — in    life — with    friends — it 

went 

To  bathe  in  the  pure  element, 
And  there,  from  the  untrodden  grass, 
Wreathing  for  its  transparent  brow, 
Those  flowers  that  say  (ah  hear  them 

now!) 


THE  SLEEPER 

At  midnight,  in  the  month  of  June, 
I  stand  beneath  the  mystic  moon. 
An  opiate  vapour,  dewey,  dim 
Exhales  from  out  her  golden  rim. 
And,  softly  dripping,  drop  by  drop, 
Upon  the  quiet  mountain  top. 
Steals  drowsily  and  musically 
Into  the  universal  valley. 
The  rosemary  nods  upon  the  grave; 
The  lilly  lolls  upon  the  wave; 
Wrapping  the  fog  about  its  breast. 
The  ruin  moulders  into  rest; 
Looking  like  Lethe,  see!  the  lake 
A  conscious  slumber  seems  to  take, 
And  would  not,  for  the  world,  awake. 
All  Beauty  sleeps! —  nd  lo!  where  lies 
(Her  casement  open  to  the  skies) 
Irene,  with  her  destinies! 
Oh,  lady  bright!  can  it  be  right — 
This  window  open  to  the  night? 
The  wanton  airs,  from  the  tree-top, 
Laughingly  through  the  lattice  drop — 
The  bodiless  airs,  a  wizard  rout. 
Flit  through  thy  chamber  in  and  out, 
And  wave  the  curtain  canopy 
So  fitfully — so  fearfully — 
Above  the  closed  and  fringed  lid 
'Neath  which  thy  slumb'ring  soul  lies 

hid, 

That,  o'er  the  floor  and  down  the  wall, 
Like  ghosts  the  shadows  rise  and  fall! 
Oh,  Lady  dear,  hast  thou  no  fear? 
Why  and  what  art  thou  dreaming  here? 
Sure  thou  art  come  o'er  far-off  seas, 
A  wonder  to  these  garden  trees! 
Strange  is  thy  pallor!  strange  thy  dress! 
Strange,  above  all,  thy  length  of  tress, 
And  this  all  solemn  silentness! 
The  lady  sleeps!  Oh,  may  her  sleep, 
Which  is  enduring,  so  be  deep! 
Heaven  have  her  in  its  sacred  keep! 
This  chamber  changed  for  one  more 

holy, 

This  bed  for  one  more  melancholy, 
I  pray  to  God  that  she  may  lie 
Forever  with  unopened  eye, 
While  the  dim  sheeted  ghosts  go  by! 


POE:  A  BIBLIOGRAPHIC  STUDY      223 

To  the  night-winds  as  they  pass,  My  love,  she  sleeps!  Oh,  may  her  sleep, 

"Ai!  ai!  alas!— alas!"  As  it  is  lasting  so  be  deep! 

Pores  for  a  moment,  ere  it  go,  Soft  may  the  worms  about  her  creep! 

On  the  clear  waters  there  that  flow,  Far  in  the  forest,  dim  and  old, 

Then  sinks  within  (weigh'd  down  by     For  her  may  some  tall  vault  unfold — 

wo)  Some  vault  that  oft  hath  flung  its  black 

Th'  uncertain,  shadowy  heaven  below.     And  winged  panels  fluttering  back, 

Triumphant,  o'er  the  crested  palls, 

The  lady  sleeps:  oh!  may  her  sleep  Of  her  grand  family  funerals — 

As  it  is  lasting  so  be  deep —  Some  sepulchre,  remote,  alone, 

No  icy  worms  about  her  creep:  Against  whose  portals  she  hath  thrown 

I  pray  to  God  that  she  may  lie  In  childhood,  many  an  idle  stone — 

Forever  with  as  calm  an  eye,  Some  tomb  from  out  whose  sounding 

That  chamber  chang'd  for  one  more  door 

holy  She  ne'er  shall  force  an  echo  more, 

That  bed  for  one  more  melancholy.  Thrilling  to  think,  poor  child  of  sin ! 

Far  in  the  forest,  dim  and  old,  It  was  the  dead  who  groaned  within. 

For  her  may  some  tall  vault  unfold, 
Against  whose  sounding  door  she  hath 

thrown, 

In  childhood,  many  an  idle  stone — 
Some  tomb,  which  oft  hath  flung  its 

black 

And  vampyre-winged  pannels  back, 
Flutt'ring  triumphant  o'er  the  palls 
Of  her  old  family  funerals. 

At  all  times  these  poems  are  rhythmical,  and  occasionally 
they  are  possessed  of  a  sweetness  and  tenderness  and  of  so 
delicate  an  ideality  as  strongly  to  affect  us.  The  horrible 
and  disagreeable  ideas  suggested  are  the  result  of  a  studied 
effort.  They  are  not  "the  outpourings  of  a  diseased  brain 
poisoned  by  alcohol  and  opium,"  producing  the  macaber 
images  so  frequently  indulged  in  by  Lauvriere. 

AI  Aaraaf  and  Tamerlane  were  the  only  poems  that  were 
republished  with  their  original  titles.  AI  Aaraaf  was  given 
an  entirely  new  opening  stanza  that  was  not  in  the  first 
edition  and  was  not  retained  in  the  definitive  edition  of 
1845.  The  other  changes  were  verbal  and  immaterial. 

AL  AARAAF  (7^29  Edition).  AL  ARAAF  (1831  Edition). 

PART  I  Part  First 

O!  NOTHING  earthly  save  the  ray  Mysterious  star! 

(Thrown  back  from  flowers)  of  beauty's  Thou  wert  my  dream 

eye,  All  a  long  summer  night — 

As  in  those  gardens  where  the  day  Be  now  my  theme! 

Springs  from  the  gems  of  Circassy —  By  this  clear  stream, 

O!  nothing  earthly  save  the  thrill  Of  thee  will  I  write; 

Of  melody  in  woodland  rill —  Meantime  from  afar 

Or  (music  of  the  passion-hearted)  Bathe  me  in  light! 
Joy's  voice  so  peacefully  departed              (Thy  world  has*)  not  the  dross  of  ours, 

*Reading  conjectural  because  of  uninked  type. 


224      POE:  A  BIBLIOGRAPHIC  STUDY 

That  like  the  murmur  in  the  shell,  Yet  all  the  beauty — all  the  flowers 

Its  echo  dwelleth  and  will  dwell —  That  list  our  love,  or  deck  our  bowers 

Oh,  nothing  of  the  dross  of  ours —  In  dreamy  gardens,  where  do  lie 

Yet  all  the  beauty — all  the  flowers  Dreamy  maidens  all  the  day, 

That  list  our  Love,  and  deck  our          While  the  silver  winds  of  Circassy 

bowers —  On  violet  couches  faint  away. 

Adorn  yon  world  afar,  afar —  Little — oh!  little  dwells  in  thee 

The  wandering  star —  Like  unto  what  on  earth  we  see : 

Twas  a  sweet  time  for  Nesace — for     Beauty's  eye  is  here  the  bluest 

there,  In  the  falsest  and  untruest — 

Her  world  lay  lolling  on  the  golden  air,     On  the  sweetest  air  doth  float 
Near  four  bright  suns — a  temporary     The  most  sad  and  solemn  note — 

rest —  If  with  thee  be  broken  hearts, 

An  oasis  in  desert  of  the  blest.  Joy  so  peacefully  departs, 

That  its  echo  still  doth  dwell, 
Like  the  murmur  in  the  shell. 
Thou !  Thy  truest  type  of  grief 
Is  the  gently  falling  leaf — 
Thou !  thy  framing  is  so  holy 
Sorrow  is  not  melancholy. 

The  spelling  "Araaf"  is  a  misprint.  Both  in  the  table  of 
contents  and  where  elsewhere  noted  in  this  edition,  the 
original  spelling  is  given.  Why  Poe  changed  the  ordinary 
spelling  "Al  Araf,"  which  apparently  is  the  Mohammedan 
name  for  Purgatory,  a  region  midway  between  Heaven  and 
Hell, — if  my  theological  geography  be  correct — I  do  not 
know,  unless  it  was  so  metamorphosed  that  it  might  seem 
in  keeping  with  the  rest  of  this  poem :  nor  does  there  seem 
to  have  been  any  good  reason  for  suppressing  this  version 
and  restoring  that  of  the  first  edition. 

In  lack  of  continuity  of  thought  and  in  obscurity  of  its 
subject  matter,  it  comported  well  with  the  rest  of  Al 
Aaraaf.  It  lacks  the  melodic  rhythm  and  "that  red  drop 
of  blood"  which  has  givenlife  to  many  of  Poe' sot  her  poems, 
even  where  they  were  equally  lacking  in  subject  matter. 

In  Tamerlane  several  passages  were  inserted  that,  later, 
were  omitted. 

Despair,  the  fabled  vampire-bat, 
Hath  long  upon  my  bosom  sat, 
And  I  would  rave,  but  that  he  flings 
A  calm  from  his  unearthly  wings. 
I  reach'd  my  home — what  home?  above, 
My  home — my  hope — my  early  love, 
Lonely,  like  me,  the  desert  rose, 
Bow'd  down  with  its  own  glory  grows. 


POE:  A  BIBLIOGRAPHIC  STUDY      225 

were  interjected  at  the  end  of  the  second  stanza.  For  the 
eighth  stanza,  as  here  numbered,  Poe  introduced  The  Lake, 
originally  published  in  the  1827  Tamerlane,  though  it  con 
tained  the  emendations  adopted  in  the  1 829  version.  There 
were  other  insertions,  one  of  special  interest  being  a  new 
rendition  of  stanza  22  already  quoted.  In  this  edition  it  is 
made  to  read : 

XXIV 

If  my  peace  hath  flown  away 
In  a  night-— or  in  a  day — 
In  a  vision — or  in  none — 
Is  it,  therefore,  the  less  gone? 
I  was  standing  'mid  the  roar 
Of  a  wind  beaten  shore, 
And  I  held  within  my  hand 
Some  particles  of  sand — 
How  bright  and  yet  to  creep 
Thro'  my  fingers  to  the  deep! 
My  early  hopes?  no — they 
Went  gloriously  away, 
Like  lightenings  from  the  sky — 
Why  in  the  battle  did  not  I  ? 

All  additions  that  I  have  enumerated  were  suppressed 
in  the  1845  edition,  and,  except  in  a  very  few  instances,  the 
original  readings  were  restored.  I  have  made  no  effort  to 
indicate  all  these  changes,  for  this  study  undertakes  to 
detail  only  such  particular  alterations  and  reconstructions 
as  proved  of  personal  interest  to  me,  or  that  seemed  of 
value  as  an  indication  of  Poe's  mental  growth. 

Harrison,  in  the  notes  appended  to  his  "Virginia  Poe" 
("Poems"  Vol.  VI  I)  has  very  fully  and  accurately  indicated 
all  emendations  of  the  original  text.  I  regard  it  as  unfor 
tunate  that  he  did  not  more  fully  carry  out  his  expressed 
purpose  of  exhibiting  the  growth  of  Poe's  power  of  versi 
fication  by  publishing  the  poems  as  originally  issued, 
instead  of  adopting  the  revisions  Poe  made  twenty-five 
years  later  when  he  was  in  the  zenith  of  his  mental 
power. 


226      POE:  A  BIBLIOGRAPHIC  STUDY 

Harrison  explains : 

These  editions  bring  to  the  front  the  best  poems  and  leave  the 
earlier  and  inferior  poems  to  the  last.  If  the  student  of  the  poetry  fol 
low  this  order  he  is  sensible  of  the  anti-climax  of  such  an  arrangement. 
Moreover  it  furnishes  no  clue  whatever  to  the  developing  powers  of 
the  artist  and  leaves  the  impression  of  waning  rather  than  that  of 
waxing  talent.  To  obviate  this  .  .  .  the  poems  are  so  arranged  as  to 
show  Poe's  growth  and  are  here  printed  as  nearly  as  possible  in  the 
order  in  which  they  were  produced. 

Had  Harrison,  in  carrying  out  this  most  intelligent  con 
ception,  printed  the  poems  as  they  were  originally  pub 
lished,  and  had  he  indicated  in  his  notes  the  changes  to 
which  they  were  subjected,  rather  than  the  reverse,  he 
would  have  made  these  emendations  more  understandable 
to  the  reader. 

Nor  can  Harrison  justly  criticize  Poe  who  naturally 
desired  to  exhibit  these  poems  not  as  they  were  originally 
issued,  but  as  they  were  altered  after  passing  through  the 
process  of  his  artful  craftsmanship  and  the  trained  under 
standing  of  his  matured  intellect.  They  rightly  bear  the 
imprint  of  his  final  judgment.  Except  as  an  elucidation  of 
the  development  of  Poe's  genius,  they  should  have  been 
suppressed,  although  it  is  not  to  be  expected  that  a  writer 
will  ignore  the  youthful  work  in  which  he  once  gloried, 
and  on  which  he  had  rested  his  hope  of  immortality. 

The  second  printing  of  these  poems  was  made  possible 
by  subscriptions  received  from  Poe's  acquaintances  at 
West  Point.  I  assume  that  Poe  had  few  friends  among  the 
cadets  capable  of  appreciating  his  mental  capacity,  or  of 
sympathizing  with  his  poetical  aspirations,  and  that  the 
"Dear  B ,"  to  whom  this  prefatory  letter  was  ad 
dressed,  was  a  figment  of  Poe's  imagination.  At  all  events, 
the  letter  served  the  purpose  of  introducing  his  somewhat 
original  views  on  the  true  aim  of  poetry  to  his  larger 
audience. 

This  volume  proved  a  disappointment  to  those  who 
subscribed  believing,  as  they  did,  that  it  would  contain 


POE:  A  BIBLIOGRAPHIC  STUDY      227 

some  of  the  many  personalities  in  which  Poe  had  indulged 
in  his  characterization  of  those  in  command  at  West  Point. 
Harrison  summarizes  its  reception: 

They,  supposing  the  volume  to  contain  squibs  and  pasquinades, 
satires  and  jokes  against  the  professors,  were,  it  is  said,  egregiously 
disappointed  on  receiving  the  volume,  to  find  it  contained  only — 
Israfel,  To  Helen,  Lenore,  The  Sleeper,  The  Valley  of  Unrest,  and 
other  masterpieces ! 

Guffaws  of  amazement  received  this  third  venture  of  'Gaffy'  Poe, 
according  to  General  Cullum. 

Woodberry,  quoting  from  General  Magruder,  further 
describes  the  circumstances  attending  its  issuance,  and  the 
meagerness  of  Poe's  reward. 

The  Cadets,  especially  from  the  South,  generally  subscribed  at 
seventy-five  cents  a  copy,  which  the  superintendent  allowed  to  be 
deducted  from  our  pay.  .  .  .  The  sum  thus  raised  enabled  him,  I 
suppose,  to  save  a  small  margin  for  his  traveling  expenses  and  neces 
sities  beyond  the  cost  of  publication.  The  book  was  not  supplied  to 
the  subscribers  until  some  time  after  he  had  left  the  Point.  It  was  a 
miserable  production  mechanically,  bound  in  green  boards  and 
printed  on  inferior  paper.  The  subscription  was  not  fully  paid  until 
the  book  was  delivered,  and  I  remember  a  general  expression  of  indig 
nation  at  the  inferior  quality  and  condition  of  the  book. 

That  this  volume  was  received  with  indignation  and 
was  treated  contumeliously,  and  that  it  was  scorned  by 
its  recipients,  possibly  explains  the  inscription  I  found  on 
a  fly-leaf  of  my  own  copy,  evidently  written  by  its  indig 
nant  recipient : 


This  publication  deserves  Magruder's  strictures.  The 
paper  used  for  printing  was  of  the  poorest  quality,  the  type 


228      POE:  A  BIBLIOGRAPHIC  STUDY 

was  battered,  and  all  its  mechanical  features  show  a  most 
slovenly  and  careless  production.  It  occasionally  happens 
that  the  first  letter,  or  even  several  words,  failed  of  repro 
duction  because  of  uninked  type;  such  letters  or  words 
must  be  conjecturally  supplied  either  by  the  context  or  by 
an  indefinite  type  impression.  The  small  sum  of  seventy- 
five  cents,  which  was  the  charge  originally  made  for  this 
book  of  poems,  does  not  represent  its  present  value.  Had 
our  contemptuous  youth  been  able  to  have  restrained  his 
indignation,  and  had  laid  aside  this  purchase,  he  could  not 
have  left  a  more  valuable  asset — at  least  on  so  small  an 
investment.  Possibly  the  boards  that  formed  its  original 
cover,  and  which  at  one  time  may  have  been  green,  can 
now  be  described  only  as  drab.  Time  and  careless  handling 
have  dealt  harshly  with  its  dilapidated  exterior.  Fortu 
nately,  no  crushed  levant  morocco  covering  has  been 
supplied. 

For  its  acquirement,  I  am  again  indebted  to  Mr.  Hill. 
Advertisements  had  failed,  and  no  trace  of  a  copy  could 
be  found.  I  had  scrutinized  the  catalogs  in  a  vain  search, 
and,  while  their  perusal  had  abundantly  rewarded,  this 
particular  item  still  eluded  me. 

As  a  rule  the  bibliophile  finds  no  hunt  so  exciting  as 
that  given  by  the  catalog  pursuit.  I  never  receive  one 
describing  rare  and  old  books — I  read  no  others — without 
an  expectant  thrill,  a  hope  that  some  long  missed  but 
eagerly  sought  title  lies  hidden  in  its  pages;  or  perhaps  I 
find  some  old  friend,  and  immediately  begin  to  compare  with 
my  own,  condition,  issue,  binding  and  $  mark ;  and  when  I 
find  the  price  of  one  soaring,  especially  if  its  condition  does 
not  shame  my  own  copy,  it  is  balm  to  my  heart.  Biblio 
maniacs  are  as  confirmed  gamblers  as  are  those  whose 
souls  in  time  become  identified  with  the  "tickers",  and 
whose  heartbeats  quicken  or  grow  weak  in  unison  with 
their  click.  Not  that  we  are  willing  to  sell,  but  we  like  to 


POE:  A  BIBLIOGRAPHIC  STUDY      229 

feel,  foolish  as  our  mania  may  seem  that,  should  we  so  de 
sire,  the  sale  would  return  us  many-fold. 

In  late  years  there  has  arisen  an  ominous  cloud  which 
has  obscured  the  peaceful  and  happy  prospect,  and  which 
in  time  may  pour  on  us  a  flood  of  uncalled-for  speculation. 
A  golden  thread  has  been  most  skillfully  woven  into  the 
musty  woof  of  book-collecting,  and  our  spiders  have  so 
spun  their  webs  that  escape  may  be  difficult,  and  we  may 
find  ourselves  helplessly  enmeshed.  Nor  can  it  be  said  that 
this  is  altogether  a  modern  development,  for  it  has  been 
attempted  many  times  in  the  past  years.  There  is  a  story 
current  that,  some  fifty  years  ago,  the  head  of  one  of  our 
best  known  English  firms  was  the  possessor  of  two  copies 
of  the  first  Boccaccio.  A  third  copy,  supposed  to  be  the  only 
one  that  for  years  could  come  up  for  sale,  the  others  being 
in  permanent  collections,  had  been  announced  for  auction. 
Ordinarily  a  few  guineas,  fifty  at  most,  was  regarded  as  a 
fair  price.  When  this  dealer,  without  being  forced,  bid  sev 
eral  hundred  guineas,  it  was  difficult  to  understand  the 
"psychology"  underlying  his  action.  Later,  when  at 
tempts  were  made  to  purchase  one  of  these  copies,  it  was 
found  that  a  new  price  had  been  set  by  this  monopolist. 
Some  of  our  American  dealers  have  so  elaborated  this 
method  of  book-inflation,  and  have  so  recklessly  offered 
unheard-of  prices,  publicly  to  illustrate  the  futility  of  op 
posing  them — although  in  the  end  they  were  made  to  pay 
high,  or  their  customers  were,  which  was  a  more  serious 
matter — that  this  procedure  has  for  the  time  being  utterly 
demoralized  "prices  current,"  and  book  profiteering  has 
become  a  recognized  and  legitimate  venture  more  specu 
lative  than  the  "food-corners." 

I  have  been  told  that  the  Hoe  library,  which  was  sold  for 
nearly  two  million  dollars,  did  not  cost  a  quarter  of  that 
sum.  Evidently  this  increase  was  partly  due  to  the  book- 
knowledge  and  marvelous  discrimination  of  the  col- 


230      POE:  A  BIBLIOGRAPHIC  STUDY 

lector,  and  to  the  fact  that,  when  a  book  was  allowed 
entrance  to  his  library,  it  was  the  most  perfect  of  its  kind. 
Occasionally  it  was  unique,  and  such  a  collection  could  be 
found  nowhere  else.  This  careful  selection  entitled  the 
collector  to  an  enhancement  of  price,  but  the  vast  increase 
was  not  a  necessary  consequence  of  this  painstaking  care 
in  collecting.  I  was  present  at  certain  of  these  sales — a 
guest  of  the  lamented  Livingston,  on  the  night  of  the  sale 
of  the  great  Bible, — and  the  psychology  of  the  bidders 
interested  me  as  greatly  as  the  books  that  were  auctioned. 
The  "madness  of  crowds"  was  evident.  In  the  heat  of  com 
petition  the  bids  made  were  out  of  proportion  to  the  value 
of  the  books  offered,  and  could  only  be  accounted  for  by 
mental  contagion.  Although  a  reaction  has  followed  and,  in 
many  instances,  the  prices  of  certain  books  have  never 
approached  those  at  that  time  bid,  the  sale  did  set  a  new 
scale  of  values  on  many  rare  books  there  offered.  This  sale 
has  been  so  thoroughly  advertised  that  the  public  has 
become  strongly  impressed  with  the  possibility  of  specu 
lation  in  this  new  field,  and  certain  dealers  have  so  artfully 
cultivated  public  opinion  that  many  individuals  are  now 
collecting,  not  because  they  are  book-lovers,  but  in  the 
hope  of  making  a  gain  on  their  investment. 

We  may  dream  of  finding  bargains  but,  as  a  rule,  they 
do  not  materialize,  and  we  delude  ourselves  when  we  believe 
that  some  hoped  for  "find"  is  possible  of  realization.  When 
a  book  once  has  passed  through  the  hands  of  a  book-loving 
dealer,  a  man  whose  whole  life  has  been  passed  in  the 
study  of  the  outside,  if  not  the  inside  of  a  book,  who 
knows  all  about  dates,  binding,  margins  and  the  various 
issues  (many  first  editions  are  not  first  issues,  and  fre 
quently  the  first,  for  some  good  reason,  is  not  the  desirable 
copy),  an  amateur  finds  but  meager  pickings.  Not  in 
frequently  it  has  happened  that,  when  I  believed  I  had 
found  a  bargain  and  had  prided  myself  on  some  sharp 


POE:  A  BIBLIOGRAPHIC  STUDY      231 

turn,  I  have  had  occasion  to  pay  dearly  for  my  ignorance. 
As  a  matter  of  fact  ignorance  in  matters  bookish  is  a  crime 
— an  excuse  which  no  self-respecting  bibliophile  ever  will 
offer. We  should  appear  pleased,  rub  our  bruised  ego,  adjust 
our  lightened  pocketbook,  and  pass  it  to  the  next.  This  is 
one  of  the  recognized  "amenities"  of  book-collecting  and 
our  chief est  amusement. 

A  collector's  greatest  pleasure,  next  to  collecting,  is 
watching  for  and  noting  the  enormous  gains  he  could  har 
vest  were  he  disposed  to  sell.  The  large  crop  of  millionaires 
who  have  adopted  book-collecting  because  of  its  supposed 
literary  inoculation,  or  social  distinction,  or  for  other  and 
good  reasons,  are  giving  unlimited  orders  to  the  book  experts 
who  collect  for  them.  There  is  another,  an  unmentionable 
class,  skilled  in  all  book  lore,  that  uses  its  knowledge  for 
the  purpose  of  gathering  together  all  that  is  valuable,  and 
unloading  these  collections  in  the  auction  houses.  Stimu 
lated  by  the  hope  of  gain,  these  books  continue  to  circulate, 
ever  enhancing  in  price,  and  the  end  cannot  be  predicted. 
These  classes,  one  feeding  on  the  other,  have  so  increased 
the  old  time  book  values  that  one  can,  without  boasting, 
*  'point  with  pride' '  to  the  sum  that  might  be  obtained,  did  he 
wish  to  sell.  "Did  one  wish  to  sell",  except  some  old,  cut- 
down  and  rebound  volume,  recalling  a  vision  of  it  as  we 
remember  its  old  time  form,  when  it  was  fresh,  crisp,  and 
uncut  in  its  original  binding,  is  the  true  test  of  a  biblioman 
iac.  Should  ever  I  offer  to  part  with  some  book  I  have  ap 
parently  valued  and  housed,  it  will  be  well  for  the  purchaser 
to  be  on  his  guard  and  to  watch  his  step.  Either  there  is 
another  better  preserved  and  ready  to  take  its  place,  or  there 
is  concealed  within  its  vitals  a  canker  which  has  so  eaten 
into  my  heart  that  the  very  thought  and  sight  of  it  has 
grown  unendurable.  Those  who  really  love  books  would 
as  soon  think  of  selling  their  children  into  slavery  as  to 
part  with  some  treasured,  loved,  and  oft-fondled  volume, 


232      POE:  A  BIBLIOGRAPHIC  STUDY 

unless  they  know  that  it  will  have  tender  care  and  loving 
consideration,  and  that  it  will  be  held,  housed,  and  pro 
tected  as  its  worth  deserves. 

It  is  not  well  for  any  collector,  whatever  the  wealth  he 
may  possess,  unduly  to  indulge  in  the  catalog  habit.  After 
all,  collecting  is  an  indication  of  intelluctual,  rather  than  of 
financial  capacity ;  no  better  index  of  the  mental  equation 
that  every  man  possesses  exists  than  a  glance  through, 
not  his  library,  but  the  books  that  he  treasures,  and  that 
he  collects  because  they  appeal  to  him. 

These  are  not,  necessarily,  first  editions,  and  but  rarely 
are  they  expensive  books;  all  books  ever  published,  worth 
the  reading,  have  been  reproduced  and  are  within  the 
reach  of  those  who  love  them,  and  who  are  willing  to 
sacrifice  some  other  self-indulgent  habit  to  that  of  book 
collecting.  The  extreme  to  which  this  habit  may  lead  is 
well  called  a  "mania",  and  is  as  much  an  obsession  to  those 
afflicted  with  it  as  is  any  other  mental  peculiarity.  Yet, 
when  possessed  and  held  within  proper  limits,  its  delights 
must  be  explored  to  be  believed.  Unfortunately,  in  time, 
our  pampered  tastes  refuse  other  aliment,  and  when  that 
stage  is  reached,  when  our  game  must  be  "rare"  to  be 
enjoyed,  we  do  not  find  a  great  amount  of  literature  that 
will  satisfy.  Occasionally  we  meet  with  a  "Ballinger" 
whose  book-loving  heart  beats  responsive  to  our  own ;  or 
some  "Amenities  of  Book-collecting"  may  throw  a  glamor 
over  our  mania  that  raises  it  to  the  dignity  of  a  profession. 

When  Mr.  Newton  exhibits  some  of  his  rare  association 
books  or  other  bibliographical  treasures  that  produce  in  us 
a  thirst  that  cannot  be  assuaged,  and  which  engenders  an 
appetite  that  cannot  be  satisfied,  inducing  a  ptyalism  that 
is  embarassing,  he,  doubtless  unintentionally,  commits  a 
breach  of  the  peace  by  exciting  in  us  a  desire  to  break  cer 
tain  of  the  Commandments.  It  is  well  that  he  particular 
izes  only  at  a  distance  and  through  the  medium  of  print. 


POE:  A  BIBLIOGRAPHIC  STUDY      233 

Should  ever  I  be  given  the  privilege  of  personal  inspec 
tion  he  ought  to  see  to  it  that  certain  of  the  treasures  he 
enumerates  are  kept  in  his  safety  vault  or  under  guard. 
Surely  though,  from  his  numberless  treasures,  he  would 
not  miss  a  Kilmarnock  Burns,  or  the  "Songs  of  Innocence," 
and  possibly  he  might  not  discover  the  absence  of  a  certain 
drawing.  I  can  sympathize  with  his  appreciation  of  them, 
but  I  would  give  them  as  devoted  care  and,  possibly  be 
cause  there  are  not  so  many  upon  which  to  lavish 
my  love,  even  more  undivided  worship.  To  others  he  is 
welcome.  He  can  keep  his  Dickens'  with  their  curlicued  sig 
natures  on  his  most  exposed  shelf.  They  would  not  disturb 
my  dreams.  But  I  wonder  what  he  has  of  Thackeray,  the 
Bighearted  ?  Has  he  "The  Snob,"  containing  Thackeray's 
first  literary  essays  and  theTimbuctoo  parody;  or  a  "Flore 
et  Zephyr"  with  the  spindle-shanked  legs;  or  one  of  those 
treasured  books  showing  that  Thackeray  gave  more  of  his 
time  to  drawing  on  the  unprinted  margin  the  images  that 
welled  up  in  his  contemplative  mind  than  he  did  to  reading 
the  printed  page?  Even  though  all  listed  may  not  be  in 
Mr.  Newton's  individual  possession,  they  belong  to  him 
morally,  if  not  legally,  and  he  enters  the  list  as  their 
champion — surely  one  worthy  of  encounter  in  a  friendly 
bout.  Unfortunately  two  or  three,  or  for  that  matter  very 
many  that  he  mentions,  if  met,  would  completely  unhorse 
me,  and  I  would  be  vanquished  because  of  my  inability  to 
oppose  the  slightest  resistance  to  such  syren  blandish 
ments.  I  would  not  be  deaf  to  the  "Songs  of  Innocence," 
and  no  amount  of  wax  could  obtund  her  enchanting  music. 
I  met  her  once.  One  glance  convinced  me  that  my *  'Job' '  and 
"Dante"  required  her  sisterly  presence,  and  many  other  of 
Blake's  Visions  cried  aloud  for  the  soothing  lullaby  to 
which  she  alone  could  give  a  proper  rendition.  She  was 
beautifully  hand  colored — before  this  I  had  never  been 
able  to  endure  the  sight  of  hand-painted  ladies — and  only 


234      POE:  A  BIBLIOGRAPHIC  STUDY 

the  financial  stringency  that  would  have  enforced  swim 
ming  the  Atlantic  and  "counting"  some  three  thousand 
miles  of  ties,  prevented  her  acquirement.  It  is  true  that  I 
had  intended  to  stop  all  other  collecting  and  to  pursue  her 
alone,  but,  since  that  time,  speculators  have  so  exaggerated 
the  price  that  her  pursuit  seems  useless.  Nor  have  I  remained 
true  to  my  enchantress.  In  the  years  that  have  followed  I 
have  met  with  many  other  adventures — if  not  adventur 
esses — in  book  collecting,  and  my  book  loves  are  fickle. 

Others  mentioned  have  proved  equally  attractive  and 
even  more  elusive.  I  met  "Robinson  Crusoe"  once  and 
was  fast  being  overcome  without  putting  up  my  usual  fight 
when  I  discovered  that  this  was  the  Huth  copy,  the  first 
volume  of  which  contained  "apyly"  unmistakably  mis 
spelled,  but  the  second  volume  was  found  to  be  imperfect. 
For  this  reason,  and  for  a  much  lower  price,  I  bought  one 
with  the  proper  spelling.  Alhough  I  rejected  the  Crusoe 
on  that  ground,  I  must  acknowledge  that  it  would  have 
found  in  my  library  many  companions  also  "not  quite," 
in  spite  of  the  vow  I  made  many  years  ago. 

There  is  one  described  that,  were  she  in  reach,  I  should 
never  forego,  however  time  might  stale,  or  custom  change, 
or  age  wither  her.  I  refer  to  Thackeray's  own  conception 
of  Becky  Sharp's  rejection  of  the  "dixonary,"  and  the 
further  fortunate  fact  that  it  was  not  Johnson's  first. 

Others  mentioned  excite  in  me  no  itching  acquisitive 
ness,  and  against  them  I  could  "joust  most  doughtily." 
I  want  none  of  Newton's  blue-stocking  Thrale,  whose  sole 
reputation  rests  on  the  senile  affection  of  an  old  man  in  his 
dotage, — even  at  his  best  not  a  thing  of  beauty  or  a  writer 
I  love,  however  I  may  admire  his  elephantine  proportions, 
mentally  and  physically.  Victoria,  with  her  youthful  flour 
ishes,  does  not  [interest  me ;  others,  although  respectable, 
will  never  have  a  place  on  my  shelves. 

Such  statements  as  these  are  made  only  to  illustrate  the 


POE:  A  BIBLIOGRAPHIC  STUDY      235 

fact  that  tastes,  even  in  books,  differ :  if  they  did  not,  how 
we  would  tear  and  rend ! 

It  is  not  difficult  to  understand  why  this  small  and  badly 
printed  volume  of  the  second  edition  of  Poe's  poems,  with 
its  drab  colored,  although  sound  board  binding,  did  not 
appeal  to  its  original  owner.  It  was  not  prepossessing  and, 
even  at  the  present  time,  if  met  with  by  one  of  the  un 
knowing  its  reception  would  be  no  more  cordial  than  that 
given  to  it  by  the  outraged  cadet.  If  the  recipient  had  been 
properly  advised,  and  had  this  volume  been  purchased 
at  the  suggestion  of  and  through  the  profiteer,  I  fear 
that  its  time-stained  and  dilapidated  cover  would  have 
been  torn  off,  and  that  this  little  scare-crow  would  now 
rest  in  a  jewelled  binding ;  or  that  some  hand  tooled  "crea 
tion"  would  have  taken  the  place  of  the  homely,  hand- 
scarred,  and  ink  besmudged  face  that  I  now  regard  so 
approvingly.  At  least  its  individuality  remains  and  no  non 
descript  covering  conceals  its  imperfections.  I  have  placed 
it  among  those  other  ill-clad  members  of  its  family  that,  so 
far  as  was  possible,  have  retained  their  original  covers. 
Not  one  of  them  is  gorgeously  bedecked,  nor  are  any  in 
closed  in  a  decollete  binding  so  cut  down  as  to  expose  for 
adverse  criticism  the  anatomy  of  construction,  although  in 
many  instances  the  symmetry  of  their  proportions  is  such 
that  if  fully  exposed  this  fact  would  bring  no  blush  of 
shame.  A  very  few  are  so  perfect  that  not  even  a  fig-leaf, 
much  less  a  calf's  skin,  shall  cover  their  naked  purity. 

The  addition  of  these  poems  was  particularly  welcome, 
for  it  resulted  in  practically  reuniting  the  surviving 
members  of  a  family  that,  at  best,  had  never  been  fully  as 
sembled.  Like  their  creator,  they  had  been  born  in  inhos 
pitable  climes  and  had  grown  up  among  unfriendly 
environments.  So  unacknowledged  and  anonymously  had 
they  been  published  that  many  received  no  christening 
greetings ;  so  unannounced  and  unnoticed  were  they  that 


236      POE:  A  BIBLIOGRAPHIC  STUDY 

even  their  author  could  not  name  their  birth  places  nor 
their  birth  days — like  their  progenitor  they  had  been  wan 
derers  over  the  face  of  the  earth,  contumeliously  man 
handled.  No  tablet  ever  marked  either  their  birthplaces  or 
their  temporary  abodes.  Out  of  such  poverty  and  dire 
necessity  did  they  spring  that,  twin-like,  it  is  with  dif 
ficulty  that  they  can  be  distinguished,  and  some  confusion 
has  followed  attempts  to  claim  priority.  All,  to  a  greater 
or  less  degree,  have  been  defaced  by  the  hand  of  time; 
indifference,  neglect  and  careless  housing  in  their  poverty 
stricken  tenements  have  scarred  their  honest  features. 
They  deserved  a  kinder  fate,  but  need  no  tribute  as  to 
their  many  and  eminent  merits.  For  many  months  they 
have  occupied  the  seat  of  honor  at  my  right  hand,  and  they 
have  been  my  constant  companions.  How  long  my  fickle 
heart  will  hold  them  as  its  chiefest  delight  is  not  a  matter 
of  possible  prognostication. 

In  reproducing  their  ill-clad  and  unadorned  figures  I  am 
merely  illustrating  the  frequently  experienced  apothegm 
that  most  lovable  qualities  and  eminent  merit  may  be 
hidden  behind  the  roughest  of  exteriors,  and  that  such 
books  must  be  judged  by  their  contents  only.  That  the 
eldest  of  this  group  has  been  renounced  and  disowned  does 
not  mitigate  the  grief  I  feel  for  its  absence:  like  Rachel  I 
mourn  and  find  little  comfort  in  its  reproduction.  Rather 
than  live  with  the  pampered  and  legitimate  heir,  I  would 
have  preferred,  like  Hagar,  to  have  wandered  forth,  every 
where    seeking    for    the    life-giving    spring    that    saved 
Ishmael,  and  which,  when  found,  must  have  proved  so 
refreshing  and  invigorating  as  fully  to  have  repaid  the 
hardships  of  the  desert  search.  However,  that  one  should 
drink  twice  at  this  fountain,  and  monopolize  its  available 
source,  is  not  a  thing  to  be  patiently  borne. 

The  publication  of  the  second  edition  could  not  have 
brought  any  financial  reward,  nor  did  it  add  to  Poe's 


POE:  A  BIBLIOGRAPHIC  STUDY      237 

literary  reputation,  although  it  deserved  recognition  as  con 
taining  evidence  of  his  developing  genius.  There  was  no 
Star  that  pointed,  a  beacon  light,  to  its  humble  birth  place, 
and  there  were  no  Wise  Men  to  worship  at  this  newly 
erected  shrine. 

The  mystery  as  to  Poe's  means  of  existence,  to  the  life  he 
lived,  and  to  the  things  he  wrote,  is  not  one  that  ever 
fully  can  be  dissipated.  It  is  doubtful  that  he  again  en 
tered  the  army.  To  ordinary  reasoning  this  would  seem 
most  improbable,  knowing  that  twice  he  had  been  unable 
to  become  reconciled  to  military  life.  He  might  have 
visited  Europe  on  sailing  vessels,  but  the  life  of  a  sailor 
could  have  not  been  more  congenial  than  was  that  of  a 
soldier.  He  was  without  occupation  and  must  have  been 
strongly  attracted  by  the  profession  of  Letters.  It  is 
known  that  a  portion  of  this  transitional  period — 1831  to 
1834 — was  spent  in  and  around  Richmond  and  Baltimore, 
and  it  is  more  than  probable  that  he  contributed  to  the 
contemporaneous  magazines  of  those  cities.  Could  these 
magazines  be  resurrected,  and  a  list  be  found  of  the  contri 
butors,  it  is  certain  that  many  Poe  contributions  would  be 
discovered.  Whether  or  not  this  would  prove  a  desirable 
consummation  is  a  matter  of  serious  doubt.  Poe  was  most 
industrious  in  selecting  and  revising  such  work  as,  in  his 
judgment,  was  worthy;  and,  as  far  as  has  been  ascer 
tained,  everything  he  rejected  proved  the  soundness  of 
his  judgment.  Poe,  14-21,  wrote  much  that  we  could  wish 
had  not  been  republished.  We  know  that  he  did  not  con 
fine  his  literary  work  to  poetry,  but  that  he  wrote  stories 
which  he  read  to  his  friends.  None  of  these  very  early 
stories,  outside  those  contained  in  'The  Folio  Club,"  so  far 
as  is  known,  have  been  published.  Probably  neither  the 
poems  nor  the  tales  can  now  be  identified,  the  poems  of 
this  period  bearing  little  resemblance  to  those  on  which 
his  fame  rests. 


238      POE:  A  BIBLIOGRAPHIC  STUDY 

One  story  that  appeared  in  "The  Yankee"  has  at 
tracted  my  particular  notice;  for  it  is  so  much  better  in 
construction  and  in  the  elaboration  of  its  plot,  as  to  bear 
no  comparison  to  any  other  contribution  in  it.  In  addition, 
certain  details  are  given  that  might  be  regarded  as  auto 
biographic.  The  experiences  detailed  are  such  as  Poe  might 
well  have  met  with  when  he  decamped  from  home  and 
shipped  for  Europe.  The  meeting  with  an  old  friend,  and 
the  unlocked  for  denouement,  characterizes  Poe's  method  of 
treating  the  mysterious,  and  the  marked  originality  of  the 
plot,  and  occasionally  the  boyish  and  immature  reflections, 
point  to  great  capacity  that  had  not  yet  achieved  stability. 
I  assume  that,  had  Poe  written  it,  he  would  sooner  or  later 
have  recast  it,  and  that  some  of  its  characters  and  charac 
teristics  would  have  been  retained.  It  is  so  much  better 
than  any  other  story  contained  in  this  magazine,  and  it  is 
so  inferior  to  Poe  at  his  best — but  not  at  his  worst,  as  in 
The  Scythe  of  Time, — that  its  authorship  is  properly  a 
matter  for  investigation.  It  is  contained  in  the  same  issue 
as  The  Skeleton  Hand  and  immediately  follows;  but,  unlike 
the  other  contributions  contained  in  this  number,  it  bears 
not  even  an  initialed  signature. 

Poe,  aged  twenty,  might  have  tried  his  'prentice  hand, 
and  it  is  possible  that  this  may  in  time  be  shown  to  be  his 
maiden  effort :  but  all  such  speculations  are  at  best  untrust 
worthy  and  without  any  foundation  of  proof,  This  story, 
however,  has  intrinsic  merit  and  a  shadowy  resemblance 
to  Poe's  characteristic  style  and  to  his  penchant  for  the 
mysterious,  on  which  he  did  so  often  dwell. 

Of  all  the  recent  commentators  on  the  early  work,  and 
especially  on  the  early  poetry  of  Poe,  J.  H.  Whitty  deserves 
especial  recognition.  While  it  is  true  that  Poe  could  have 
best  judged  what  he  believed  should  be  given  to  posterity, 
and  while  it  is  evident  that  he  did  collect  all  that  had 
merit  and  should  live,  he  reckoned  without  taking  into 


POE:  A  BIBLIOGRAPHIC  STUDY      239 

consideration  the  insatiable  curiosity  of  his  bibliographers. 
Many  poems  that  he  wished  posterity  to  forget  and  which 
he  refused  to  include  in  his  collected  work,  have,  neverthe 
less,  been  discovered ;  we  recognize  them  as  his  offspring, 
even  if  they  bear  only  the  faintest  resemblance  to  those 
children  of  his  genius  by  which  he  desired  to  be  known 
to  coming  generations. 

One  periodical,  unknown  to  Woodberry  and  Harrison, 
called  'The  Saturday  Courier,"  has  been  found,  covering 
the  year  1832,  and  containing  five  of  Poe's  stories,  viz. :  Mer- 
genstein,  A  Tale  of  Jerusalem,  Due  de  I  Omelette,  A  Decided 
Loss  (later  known  as  Loss  of  Breath)  and  Bon-Bon,  pub 
lished  with  the  title  The  Bargain  Lost.  None  of  these  bore 
Poe's  signature.  Both  The  Bargain  Lost  and  Loss  of 
Breath  are  said  markedly  to  differ  from  the  tales  later  pub 
lished  under  their  newer  titles.  Two  files  of  this  date  have 
been  found  and  are  now  a  part  of  historical  collections  in 
Wisconsin  and  Massachusetts.  The  original  discovery  was 
made  by  Professor  Campbell  of  Texas.  No  complete  file 
of  the"Saturday  Visiter"  has  been  found.  A  unique  bound 
volume  for  the  year  1833  has  been  located  by  Professor 
French,  and,  though  privately  owned,  its  contents  have 
been  given  careful  study.  Some  discoveries  have  been 
made,  and  several  new  poems  have  been  found  that 
undoubtedly  were  written  by  Poe.  It  was  this  "Visiter" 
that  offered  the  prize  won  by  Poe,  the  publication  of  whose 
story  established  his  reputation.  What  a  complete  file 
would  have  shown  as  to  Poe's  early  work  is  problemat 
ical  ;  such  a  discovery  would  be  a  matter  of  interest  to  stu 
dents  but  could  not  materially  enhance  Poe's  reputation. 

I  am  indebted  to  Thomas  Ollive  Mabbott,  our  youngest 
and  most  enthusiastic  Poe  bibliographer,  for  the  details 
of  these  recent  discoveries,  and  for  their  verification  by 
reason  of  his  personal  investigations. 

Whitty  has  added  a  number  of  poems  to  those  already 


240      POE:  A  BIBLIOGRAPHIC  STUDY 

accepted  as  specimens  of  Poe's  early  work,  but  none  of 
these  had  the  right  to  live  because  of  any  merit  they 
possessed.  Many  of  them  were  evidently  "thrown  off" 
without  thought  of  future  curiosity  or  preservation,  and 
it  is  questionable  to  just  what  extent  we  have  the  right 
to  play  the  part  of  "Resurrectors." 

All  of  the  poems  so  far  identified  have  been  republished 
in  the  latest  edition  of  Poe's  Poetical  Works,  edited  by 
Whitty.  They  add  nothing  to  Poe's  reputation.  Many 
of  them  are  "doggerel",  such  as  one  unconsciously  may 
scribble,  or  as  absent-mindedly  may  be  used  to  decorate  a 
scrap  of  paper.  These  trifles  are  totally  unworthy  of  pres 
ervation.  They  are  brain  children  resulting  from  youthful 
folly  that  his  mature  judgment  disowned,  provided  they 
were  by  any  possibility  recalled  when  poetry  became  with 
Poe  a  "passion."  They  cannot  be  considered  legitimate 
specimens  of  his  youthful  poetry — a  selection  of  which  he 
carefully  made.  Yet  so  avaricious  are  we  of  all  things  relat 
ing  to  Poe  that  we  cannot  reject  even  these  trifles.  They 
are  interesting  morceaux  in  spite  of  the  fact  that,  in  no 
way,  do  they  properly  represent  even  his  youthful  work. 

From  these  contributions,  as  well  as  from  the  testimony 
of  friends  that  Poe  made  during  these  years,  it  seems 
probable  that  he  passed  the  greater  portion  of  his  time  in 
Richmond  and  Baltimore,  and  it  is  assumed  that  Allan  par 
tially  financed  him.  At  best  his  literary  life  must  have  been 
strenuous,  and  while  there  is  no  definite  record  as  to  his 
habits,  they  were  not  such  as  to  attract  unfavorable  atten 
tion,  or  to  cause  serious  comment  among  his  friends.  It  is 
equally  certain  that  there  were  periodical  attacks  which 
temporarily  unfitted  him  for  the  ordinary  routine  of  life. 

Our  first  definite  knowledge  of  Poe  commences  with  his 
"discovery"  by  John  H.  Kennedy,  whose  writings  were  at 
one  time  quite  the  vogue  among  Southerners.  A  prize  had 
been  offered  by  the  "Saturday  Visiter"  of  Baltimore,  and 


.-• 


SOUTH  E-J!.\ 


LTTERARY  MESSENGER, 

MYKllY  DEPARTMENT  OF  LITERATIM 


THE    FINE    ARTS 


CONTENTS. 


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:f.Tl.UlVNOT:< 

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'•Album,., 


' 


POE:  A  BIBLIOGRAPHIC  STUDY      241 

Kennedy  had  been  nominated  one  of  the  judges.  So  im 
pressed  was  he  by  the  stories  contained  in  "The  Folio 
Club",  submitted  for  this  prize,  that  he  sought  Poe's  ac 
quaintance  and  from  the  resulting  association  we  have 
many  details  of  Poe's  life  following  his  first  literary 
achievement.  It  was  through  Kennedy  that  Poe  became  ac 
quainted,  and  later  associated  with,  T.  W.  White,  "Printer 
and  Proprietor"  of  "The  Southern  Literary  Messenger." 

THE  SOUTHERN  LITERARY  MESSENGER:  Devoted  to 
Every  Department  of  Literature  and  the  Fine  Arts.  Rich 
mond  :  T.  W.  White,  Publisher  and  Proprietor. 

Vol.      I  August  to  September,  1835  (13  numbers). 
Vol.    II  December  to  November,  1836  (12  numbers). 
Vol.  Ill  January  to  December,  1837. 
Vol.         (assorted)  1838  to  1848. 
Vol.  XV  January  to  December,  1849. 

In  the  first  number  published  White  lamented  the 
"vassalage"  of  the  South  to  the  North.  His  effort  to  pub 
lish  a  representative  magazine  was  an  experiment. 

It  is  understood  that  the  first  number  of  the  'Messenger'  will  be 
sent  forth  by  its  Publisher,  as  a  kind  of  pioneer  to  spy  out  the  land  of 
literary  promise,  and  report  whether  the  same  be  fruitful  or  barren. 
.  .  .  Hundreds  of  similar  publications  thrive  and  prosper  north  of  the 
Potomac,  sustained  as  they  are  by  the  liberal  hand  of  patronage. 
Shall  not  one  be  supported  in  the  whole  south? 

White  believed  that  a  medium  for  proper  representation, 
and  exploitation,  of  Southern  literature  and  Southern 
writers,  required  such  a  magazine. 

While  we  shall  endeavor  to  render  the  'Messenger'  acceptable  to 
all,  it  is  more  particularly  our  desire  to  give  it  as  much  as  possible  a 
Southern  character  with  those  of  the  region  in  which  it  has  taken  root. 

While  White  was  not  a  man  of  editorial  capacity,  and 
made  no  pretension  to  literary  ability,  he  associated  those 
with  him  who  did  possess  these  requisite  qualifications. 
Apparently  their  services  were  contributed  with  the  same 


242       POE:  A  BIBLIOGRAPHIC  STUDY 

sectional  enthusiasm  that  induced  White  to  attempt  the 
publication  of  this  journal  and  thai  seemed  to  animate  all 
who  contributed  to  its  success.  James  Heath  was  the  acting 
editor  of  the  early  issues.  It  is  probable  that  Poe's  direct 
connection  with  the  "Messenger"  began  in  July,  1835. 

In  September  he  must  have  been  in  full  charge  for  in  the 
December  issue  White  wrote : 

The  gentleman,  referred  to  in  the  ninth  number  [May]  of  the  Mes 
senger,  as  filling  its  editorial  chair,  retired  thence  with  the  eleventh 
number ;  and  the  intellectual  department  of  the  paper  is  now  under  the 
conduct  of  the  Proprietor,  assisted  by  a  gentleman  of  distinguished 
literary  talents.  Thus  seconded,  he  is  sanguine  in  the  hope  of  rendering 
the  second  volume  which  the  present  number  commences,  at  least  as 
deserving  of  support  as  the  former  was:  nay,  if  he  reads  aright  the 
tokens  which  are  given  to  him  of  the  future,  it  teems  with  even  richer 
banquets  for  his  readers,  than  they  have  hitherto  enjoyed  at  his 
board. 

Apparently  the  "intellectual  department"  was  satisfac 
torily  conducted  by  Poe,  and  the  "Messenger"  flourished 
under  his  administration.  At  that  time  the  circulation  was 
said  to  have  been  about  700.  When  Poe  left  the  journal 
sixteen  months  later  this  had  increased  to  over  5000.  How 
ever  it  was  not  a  time  of  uninterrupted  prosperity,  nor 
was  White  altogether  free  from  anxiety.  We  know  that 
occasionally  Poe  was  incapacitated  to  perform  properly 
his  duties,  and  that  there  were  serious  interruptions.  In 
spite  of  these  infrequent  lapses  Poe  did  much  review 
writing.  If  he  added  to  his  store  of  poems  and  tales,  there 
is  no  evidence  of  this  fact.  Even  so,  the  "Messenger" 
furnished  an  excellent  medium  for  exhibiting  all  the  work 
that,  at  twenty-four,  he  had  written.  For  this  reason  a  de 
tailed  statement  of  all  that  Poe  contributed  to  the  "Mes 
senger,"  during  1835-36,  well  illustrates  and  summarizes 
his  literary  accomplishments  up  to  this  date. 

January,  1835:  Review  of  "Poems,  by  William  Cullen 
Bryant." 

March:  Berenice — A  Tale. 


POE:  A  BIBLIOGRAPHIC  STUDY      243 

April:  Morella — A  Tale.  Review  of  "Confessions  of  a 
Poet/' 

Harrison,  alone  of  Poe's  biographers,  has  attempted  a 
bibliography  detailing  the  individual  contributions  of  Poe 
to  this  magazine.  Even  the  most  cursory  examination  of 
the  files  of  the  "Messenger"  shows  careless  tabulation  on 
his  part,  yet  as  a  whole  his  work  is  good  in  that  it  gives  all 
of  Poe's  known  contributions. 

There  may  be  uncertainty  as  to  the  authorship  of  the 
first  reviews.  In  the  early  issues  for  1835  there  are  many 
that  Harrison  assigns  to  Poe.  He  probably  had  good 
reason  for  his  selection,  possibly  access  to  the  "Messenger" 
records,  but  he  does  not  state  his  authority. 

May:  Lion-izing — A  Tale.  By  error,  Harrison  assigns 
this  to  the  April  number  with  the  title  "Some  Passages  in 
the  Life  of  a  Lion."  In  this  case  as  in  all  others  he  denom 
inates  the  story  by  its  later  name,  not  using  the  one  under 
which  it  was  originally  published. 

There  are  only  three  reviews  for  this  month,  all  of  which 
Harrison  assigns  to  Poe.  One  of  these  is  a  full  review  of 
"Horse-Shoe  Robinson."  In  it  Poe  attempts  to  repay  the 
debt  of  gratitude  he  owed  Kennedy,  its  writer. 

June :  Hans  Phaall — A  Tale.  Harrison  called  this  story 
"The  Unparalleled  Adventures  of  One  Hans  Phaal." 
Woodberry  writes  it  "Pfaal." 

During  this  time  Poe  lived  in  Baltimore  and  his  associa 
tion  with  the  "Messenger"  was  through  correspondence. 
It  is  probable  that  he  took  charge  in  July,  or  at  least  that 
he  came  to  Richmond  about  that  time  and  began  his  per 
sonal  association  with  the  "Messenger." 

July:  The  Visionary — A  Tale.  From  this  time  it  is  pre 
sumed  that  Poe  was  in  charge  of  the  "intellectual  depart 
ment."  Harrison  credits  Poe  with  only  three  of  the  seven 
reviews  contained  in  this  issue  of  the  "Messenger." 

There  also  was  published,  for  the  first  time,  the  poem 


244      POE:  A  BIBLIOGRAPHIC  STUDY 

To  Mary — "Poe's  Mary."  This  poem  bears  some  resem 
blance  to  a  poem  later  published  in  Graham's,  March,  1842, 
known  as  To  One  Departed.  Neither  of  these  have  been  since 
republished  and  I  assume  that  their  omission,  when  so 
much  that  is  trashy  and  unworthy  has  been  included,  is 
due  to  an  oversight. 

TO  MARY  TO  ONE  DEPARTED 

Mary,  amid  the  cares — the  woes  Like  some  enchanted  far-off  isle 

Crowding  around  my  early  path,  In  some  tumultuous  sea 
(Sad  path,  alas!  where  grows  Some  ocean  vexed  as  it  may  be 

Not  ev'n  one  lonely  rose,)  With  storms;  but  where  meanwhile, 

My  soul  at  least  a  solace  hath  Serenest  skies  continuall  > 
In  dreams  of  thee,  and  therein  knows  Just  o'er  that  one  bright  island  smile 

An  Eden  of  sweet  repose.  For  mid  the  earnest  cares  and  woes 

And  thus  thy  memory  is  to  me  That  crowd  around  my  earthly  path 

Like  some  enchanted,  far-off  isle,  (Sad  path,  alas,  where  grows 

In  some  tumultuous  sea —  Not  even  one  lonely  rose!) 
Some  lake  beset  as  lake  can  be  My  soul  at  least  a  solace  hath 

With  storms — but  where,  meanwhile,  In  dreams  of  thee;  and  therein  knows 

Sunset  skies  continually  An  Eden  of  bland  repose. 

Just  o'er  that  one  bright  island  smile. 
Seraph !  thy  memory  is  to  me. 

To  F now  included  among  Poe's  poems,  seems  to  be 

a  composite  of  these  two. 

August:  Bon-Bon — A  Tale.  In  addition  forty  books  are 
mentioned  by  title  but  the  criticisms  are  so  perfunctory  as 
not  to  deserve  consideration. 

There  appears  in  this  issue  an  interesting  article  regard 
ing  the  "Visiter"  awards,  inspired,  if  not  written,  by  Poe. 

As  one  or  two  of  the  criticisms  in  relation  to  the  Tales  of  our 
contributor,  Mr.  Poe,  have  been  directly  at  variance  with  those 
generally  accepted,  we  take  the  liberty  of  inserting  here  an  extract 
from  a  letter  .  .  .  which  we  find  in  the  Baltimore  Visiter.  This  paper 
having  originally  offered  a  premium  for  the  best  Prose  Tale,  and  also 
one  for  the  best  Poem — both  these  premiums  were  awarded  ...  to 
Mr.  Poe.  The  award  was,  however,  subsequently  altered  ...  in 
consideration  of  his  having  received  the  higher  one.  .  .  .  Among  the 
prose  articles  were  many  of  various  and  distinguished  merit ;  but  the 
singular  force  and  beauty  of  those  sent  by  the  author  of  the  Tales  of 
the  Folio  Club  leave  us  no  room  for  hesitation.  We  have  accordingly 
awarded  the  premium  to  a  Tale  entitled  Ms.  Found  in  a  Bottle.  It 
would  hardly  be  doing  justice  to  the  writer  of  this  collection  to  say 
that  the  Tale  we  have  chosen  is  the  best  of  the  six  offered  by  him.  .  .  . 
These  tales  are  eminently  distinguished  by  a  wild,  vigorous,  and 
poetical  imagination.' 


POE:  A  BIBLIOGRAPHIC  STUDY      245 

We  presume  this  letter  must  set  the  question  at  rest.  Lionizing  is 
one  of  the  Tales  here  spoken  of — The  Visionary  is  another.  The  Tales 
of  the  Folio  Club  are  sixteen  in  all,  and  we  believe  it  is  the  author's 
intention  to  publish  them  all  in  the  autumn. 

The  Coliseum  was  republished  and  was  further  desig 
nated  "A  Prize  Poem,"  Poe  apparently  taking  the  will  for 
the  deed. 

This  August  number  also  contained  To  Sarah,  which 
Whitty  assigns  to  Poe.  This  poem  is  signed  "Sylvio"  and 
contains  nothing  characteristic  of  Poe.  It  states: 

The  silvery  streamlet  gurgling  on, 

The  mock-bird  chirping  on  the  thorn, 

Remind  me,  love,  of  thee 

They  seem  to  whisper  thoughts  of  love, 

As  thou  didst  when  the  stars  above 

Witnessed  thy  vows  to  me ; — 

The  gentle  zephyr  floating  by, 

In  chorus  to  my  pensive  sigh, 

Recalls  the  hour  of  bliss, 

When  from  thy  balmy  lips  I  drew 

Fragrance  as  sweet  as  Hermia's  dew, 

And  left  the  first  fond  kiss. 

If  these  lines  be  Poe's,  they  were  written  during  a  period 
of  irresponsibility.  Could  this  assignment  be  authenti 
cated,  and  Whitty  undoubtedly  has  proof,  this  same  un 
fortunate  seizure  would  also  account  for  the  paucity  of 
Poe's  criticisms.  I  find  an  indicial  reference  to  this  poem 
stating  that  it  is  a  rendition  of  "Sappho's  Ode  To  the  Be 
loved  Fair',  a  stanza  of  it  in  Sarah — Lines  to." 

September :  Loss  of  Breath.  This,  by  a  sub-title,  is  des 
ignated  "A  Tale  a  la  Blackwood."  Judging  by  the  con 
tents  of  this  story,  Poe  did  not  have  an  exalted  opinion  of 
the  excellencies  of  the  Blackwood  tales.  That  number  also 
contained  the  lines  written  to  *  'Eliza/ '  but  this  was  so  closely 

paraphrased  by  that  now  known  To  F 0 ,  as  not  to 

deserve  repetition. 

There  are  seven  reviews,  all  by  Poe.  They  show  careful 
study  and  critical  ability. 


246      POE:  A  BIBLIOGRAPHIC  STUDY 

This  September  issue  completed  Volume  I,  which  con 
sisted  of  thirteen  numbers.  For  some  reason  that  I  do  not 
know,  there  was  no  issue  in  October  or  November.  The 
first  number  of  Volume  II  was  published  in  December, 
1835,  but  in  it  no  reference  was  made  to  this  omission.  For 
the  first  time  White  announced  that  "a  gentleman  of  dis 
tinguished  talents"  had  been  associated  with  him  in  the 
"intellectual  department",  although  he  mentions  no  name. 
Poe  in  reality  had  been  actively  connected  with  the  "Mes 
senger"  for  several  months  and  deserved  fuller  recognition 
of  the  work  he  had  contributed. 

Vol.  II,  commencing  with  December,  is  essentially  the 
individual  work  of  Poe.  He  wrote  all  the  reviews  and  criti 
cisms,  nearly  one  hundred  in  number,  republished  many 
of  his  poems  and  a  few  of  his  tales  and  contributed  much 
fresh  material.  He  undertook  this  new  campaign  with  a 
full  quiver,  and  he  shot  with  such  accuracy  that  he 
pierced  many  inflated  reputations  of  overpraised  writers. 
Though  their  work  made  a  fair  target  for  his  sharp-pointed 
and  occasionally  envenomed  arrows,  unfortunately  by 
reason  of  such  criticisms  he  raised  a  host  of  enemies  whom 
later  he  had  to  meet  in  his  metropolitan  struggle  for  exist 
ence. 

December:  Scenes  from  an  Unpublished  Drama,  Part  I. 
This  was  later  republished  with  the  added  title  "Politian." 
For  some  unknown  reason,  Poe  republished — its  third 
appearance — MS.  Found  in  a  Bottle.  Of  the  sixty-eight 
pages  included  in  this  magazine  twenty-eight  were  devoted 
to  criticisms,  a  few  brief,  the  majority  full  reviews.  For  the 
first  time  the  vitriolic  character  of  Poe's  onslaughts  was  in 
evidence.  In  his  review  of  "Norman  Leslie,"  a  novel 
written  by  T.  S.  Fay,  one  of  the  editors  of  "The  New  York 
Mirror,"  he  indulged  in  bitter  comment  and  fierce  denun 
ciation  which  were  uncalled  for,  however  bad  the  story. 


POE:  A  BIBLIOGRAPHIC  STUDY      247 

Well ! — here  we  have  it !  This  is  the  book — the  book  par  excellence — 
the  book  bepuffed,  beplastered,  and  be-Mirrored:  the  book  'attrib 
uted  to'  Mr.  Blank,  and  'said  to  be  from  the  pen  of  Mr.  Asterisk : 
the  book  which  has  been  'about  to  appear' — 'in  press' — 'in  progress' 
'in  preparation' — and  'forthcoming':  the  book  'graphic'  in  antici 
pation — 'talented'  a  priori — and  God  knows  what  in  prosjpectu.  For 
the  sake  of  everything  puffed,  puffing,  and  puffable,  let  us  take  a  peep 
at  its  contents. 

This  tirade  of  critical  comment  was  followed  by  a  scathing 
eight-column  analysis  of  the  story.  It  was  a  new  procedure, 
a  form  of  literary  castigation  that  must  deeply  have 
wounded  the  author. 

Harrison  adds  another  review — Latrobe's  "Rambler  in 
North  America" — as  belonging  to  December.  This  was  not 
published  till  January,  1836. 

January :  This  issue  contained  the  second  and  conclud 
ing  Scenes  From  An  Unpublished  Drama.  Another  of  his 
Folio  tales,  Metzengerstein,  A  Tale  in  Imitation  of  the 
German,  was  published,  and  the  reviews,  nine  in  number, 
were  all  made  with  painstaking  care.  In  the  first  of  these 
Poe  included  the  combined  poetry  of  Mrs.  Sigourney,  Miss 
Gould  and  Mrs.  Ellet,  in  one  criticism — an  extended  notice 
of  eleven  columns.  As  a  rule  the  amount  of  space  covered  is 
no  criterion  of  the  labor  expended,  or  of  the  value  of  a 
criticism :  in  the  case  of  Poe  it  is  a  fairly  accurate  index.  He 
wasted  neither  space  nor  labor.  While  treating  his  subjects 
with  the  chivalry  such  poetesses  inspire,  whatever  be  their 
sins  of  commission,  Poe  very  elaborately  summarizes  their 
various  demerits.  If  he  put  on  the  mask  of  flattery  it  fell 
when  he  formulated  his  conclusions.  Only  in  his  criticisms 
of  Mrs.  Osgood  did  the  heart  dominate  the  head. 

In  the  Paean,  which  was  republished,  the  ninth  stanza 
was  omitted,  and  the  eighth,  tenth,  and  eleventh  were 
elaborately  emended,  though  they  did  not  approximate 
those  changes  made  when  it  was  transformed  into  Lenore. 

February :  A  tale,  The  Due  De  L 'Omelette,  is  all  that  Poe 
contributed  to  the  reading  columns,  unless  a  translation 


248      POE:  A  BIBLIOGRAPHIC  STUDY 

from  the  French,  named  'The  Cousin  of  the  Married"  be 
his.  It  bears  more  resemblance  to  an  original  contribution 
than  to  a  translation.  However,  to  attribute  to  Poe  what 
ever  in  the  "Messenger"  that  is  above  mediocre,  is  absurd ; 
even  the  style  of  Poe  is  not  so  characteristic  that  one  can 
with  any  certainty  select.  There  is  one  of  these  critical 
reviews,  among  the  ten  which  appear  in  this  issue,  that  is 
unmistakable.  It  is  a  long  and  painstaking  dissection  of 
"Paul  Ulric." 

These  two  volumes  are  by  Morris  Mattson,  Esq.,  of  Philadelphia, 
and  we  presume  that  Mr.  Mattson  is  a  very  young  man.  Be  this  as  it 
may,  when  we  called  'Norman  Leslie'  the  silliest  book  in  the  world  we 
had  certainly  never  seen  'Paul  Ulric.'  One  sentence  in  the  latter,  how 
ever,  is  worthy  of  our  serious  attention.  'We  want  a  few  faithful 
laborers  in  the  vineyard  of  literature,  to  root  out  the  noxious  weeds 
which  infest  it*. 

In  itself  the  book  before  us  is  too  purely  imbecile  to  merit  an  ex 
tended  critique — but  as  a  portion  of  our  daily  literary  food — as  an 
American  work  published  by  the  Harpers — as  one  of  the  class  of 
absurdities  with  an  inundation  of  which  our  country  is  grievously 
threatened — we  shall  have  no  hesitation,  and  shall  spare  no  pains,  in 
exposing  fully  before  the  public  eye  its  four  hundred  and  forty-three 
pages  of  utter  folly,  bombast,  and  inanity. 

Fourteen  columns  galvanize  this  long  forgotten  produc 
tion  into  a  temporary  resuscitation  that  gives  it  the  simili 
tude  of  life.  It  comes  as  a  ghostly  skeleton  whose  bones  Poe 
rattles  so  artfully  that  he  accentuates  thecachinationof  his 
sardonic  laughter.  As  it  has  utterly  disappeared,  compari 
son  with  the  original  is  not  possible ;  but,  preserved  very 
much  as  Bierce  embedded  his  "Black  Beetles  in  Amber," 
it  lives  in  memory  because  of  Poe's  characterization. 

Another  article  well  worth  perusal  is  Poe's  personal  tri 
bute  to  the  memory  of  Chief  Justice  Marshall,  whom  Poe, 
as  a  boy,  had  known  and  loved.  While  given  as  a  review  of 
orations  and  eulogies  on  Marshall's  public  life,  it  is  in  fact 
a  short  and  most  appreciative  biographical  sketch,  cover 
ing  twenty-two  columns. 

There  also  appeared  in  this  February  number,  the  first  of 


POE:  A  BIBLIOGRAPHIC  STUDY      249 

Poe's  articles  on  Autography.  These  consisted  of  a  series 
of  letters  to  which  were  attached  facsimile  reproductions  of 
genuine  signatures.  Each  letter  was  so  characteristic  of  the 
writer,  the  style  of  whom  it  was  intended  to  imitate, 
that  several  who  were  quoted  wrote  protesting  that, 
according  to  their  best  memory,  they  had  never  written 
the  letters  attributed  to  them.  These  were  not  caricatures 
in  the  manner  of  Thackeray  and  Harte ;  they  were  decidedly 
brief  characterizations  in  the  style  Poe  later  adopted  for 
his  Marginalia  and  Literati.  At  the  same  time  they 
were  droll  in  their  affectation  of  certain  peculiarities  of 
style,  and  especially  of  the  verbosity  and  redundancy  which 
in  those  days  writers  cultivated.  Occasionally  only  the 
signature  was  reproduced,  and  from  the  idiosyncrasy  of 
letter  formation,  Poe  pretended  to  interpret  and  judge  the 
capacity  and  peculiarity  of  style  that  characterized  the 
writer. 

LETTER  XI. 

JV«o  York, . 

.My  Dear  Sir,-— I  must  be  pardoned  for  refusing  your  request  touching  your  MS.  "  Treatise  on  Pigs."  I  was 
obliged,  some  years  ago,  to  come  to  the  resolution  not  to  express  opinions  of  works  sent  to  me.  A  candid  opi 
nion  of  those  whose  merit  seemed  to  me  small,  gave  offence,  and  I  found  it  the  best  way  to  avoid  a  judgment  in 
any  case.  I  hope  this  will  be  satisfactory. 

I  am,  my  Dear  Sir,  very  respectfully  yours, 

JOSEPH  L.  MILLER,  ESQ. 

Mr.  Irving's  hand  writing  is  common-place.  There 
is  nothing  indicative  of  genius  about  it.  Neither  could 
any  one  suspect,  from  such  penmanship,  a  higfi  finish 
in  the  author's  compositions.  This  style  of  writing  is 
more  frequently  met  with  than  any  other.  It  is  a  very 
usual  clerk's  hand — scratchy  and  tapering  in  appear- 


ance,  showing  (strange  to  say)— an  eye  deficient  in  a 
due  sense  of  the  picturesque.  There  may  be  something, 
however,  in  the  circumstance  that  the  epistle  to  Mr. 
Miller  is  evidently  written  in  a  desperate  hurry.  Paper 
very  indifferent,  and  wafered. 


March:  Except  that  this  issue  contained  Epimanes 
there  was  nothing  of  interest,  either  as  it  related  to  Poe  or 
other  contributors.  To  Helen  again  makes  its  appearance, 
without  emendations.  Of  the  five  reviews,  four  are  neg 
ligible;  only  one,  "Georgia  Scenes,"  a  book  that  remains  a 
popular  contribution  to  the  mores  of  the  Southern 
"Cracker,"  received  adequate  and  appreciative  notice. 

April:  A  Tale  of  Jerusalem  is  the  last  of  the  "Tales  of 


250      POE:  A  BIBLIOGRAPHIC  STUDY 

the  Folio  Club"  to  appear  in  the  "Messenger."  It  com 
pleted  the  series,  so  far  as  this  particular  journal  was  con 
cerned.  When  Poe  first  tendered  his  tales  for  the  "Visiter" 
prize  they  were  six  in  number,  viz. :  MS.  Found  in  a  Bottle, 
Berenice,  Morella,  Lionizing, Hans  Phaall  and  TheVisionary. 
In  addition  to  these,  ten  tales  had  been  prepared  for  pub 
lication,  but  were  rejected  by  Carey  and  Lea.  Fourteen 
had  now  been  published  either  in  the  "Messenger"  or 
other  journals,  and  Siope  remained  unpublished,  though  it 
had  been  submitted  to  Miss  Leslie  for  the  1836  Gift.  The 
sixteenth  tale  is  said,  by  Woodberry,  to  have  been  Ligeia; 
by  others,  A  Descent  into  the  Maelstrom.  This  latter,  pub 
lished  in  Graham's  several  years  later,  like  other  of  Poe's 
poems  and  tales,  may  have  been  held  in  reserve.  The  really 
noticeable  fact  is  that  Poe  had  written  the  great  majority 
of  these  tales  and  poems,  which  constitute  the  foundation 
of  his  reputation,  before  he  was  twenty-four ;  and  that  all 
those  he  reproduced  in  the  "Messenger"  were  written 
before  his  connection  with  it.  This,  necessarily,  does  not 
hold  true  of  his  critical  work.  It  is  to  be  noted  that  during 
this  time  all  of  his  early  literary  efforts  were  devoted  to  the 
field  of  criticism.  It  is  possible  that  Poe  wrote  much  that 
was  later  republished  in  other  journals. 

I  do  not  particularize  the  succeeding  numbers  for  1836. 
Poe's  reviews  have  been  tabulated  by  Harrison;  and, 
while  a  few  inaccuracies  are  to  be  noted,  no  attempt  will 
be  made  at  correction.  In  the  succeeding  months  of  this 
year  there  were  no  further  literary  contributions,  except 
that,  in  August,  Pinakidia  was  published.  This  is  com 
posed  of  pithy  critical  aphorisms  borrowed  from 
well-known  writers;  in  it,  he  draws  attention  to  various 
plagiarisms  and  adaptations  of  popular  quotations.  His 
criticisms  were  neither  so  elaborate  nor  so  numerous  as  in 
the  earlier  numbers. 


POE:  A  BIBLIOGRAPHIC  STUDY      251 

One  is  strongly  tempted  to  attribute  to  Poe  many  of  the 
best  selections  contained  in  the  "Messenger,"  even  where 
his  peculiar  style  is  only  slightly  in  evidence.  While  to 
point  out  these  is  at  times  irresistible,  the  suggestion  that 
they  were  contributed  by  Poe  comes  from  the  heart,  and 
is  not  a  matter  of  judgment.  In  the  January,  1835,  issue 
there  is  a  story  called  "The  Doom"  which  impressed  White 
so  unfavorably  that,  in  his  particular  column,  it  called 
forth  a  protest  against  the  "wild  and  incredible;"  and, 
after  his  usual  manner,  he  moralizes  on  "wickedness  meet 
ing  with  its  just  award:"  even  on  him  its  literary  merit 
seems  to  have  made  such  an  impression  as  to  allow  its  pub 
lication — with  apologies  and  explanations.  In  construction 
and  narrative,  The  Doom  is  worthy  of  Poe  and  without 
any  very  great  stretch  of  the  probabilities  it  might  well  be 
an  idealization  of  his  love  episode  with  Miss  Royster. 
White  protested  that  the  writer  of  this  story  "should  have 
drawn  the  mantle  of  oblivion  over  his  dark  frailties."  He 
also  declaimed  against  a  tendency  to  "profane  and  un 
chaste  allusions,"  assuring  his  readers  "that  the  'Messen 
ger'  shall  not  be  the  vehicle  of  sentiments  at  war  with  the 
interests  of  virtue  and  sound  morals — the  only  true  and 
solid  foundation  of  human  happiness."  White  by  no  means 
approved  of  Poe's  stories,  and  in  his  "Editorial  Remarks" 
on  Morella,  he  regrets  that  Poe  "has  drank  so  deep  at  some 
enchanted  fountain,  which  seems  to  blend  in  his  fancy  the 
shadows  of  the  tomb  with  the  clouds  and  sunshine  of  life." 

Several  papers  entitled  "Essays  on  English  Poetry," 
unsigned,  might  well  be  the  work  of  Poe,  and  an  essay  on 
"Genius,"  in  the  April,  1836,  "Messenger,"  shows  evidence 
of  an  extremely  clever  summarization  of  the  subject — 
certainly  not  one  that  required  any  editorial  apology.  Yet 
Poe  inserted  a  note  protesting  against  being  held  "respon 
sible  for  the  opinions  of  his  contributors." 

Poe  did  the  same  thing  when,  without  his  signature,  he 


252      POE:  A  BIBLIOGRAPHIC  STUDY 

republished  in  July,  1836,  the  preface  to  his  1831  poems, 

Letter  to  B ,  with  a  similar  note  denying  responsibility. 

"They  have  vigor  and  originality — but  of  course  we  shall 
not  be  called  upon  to  endorse  the  writer's  opinions." 
Neither  essay  required  such  an  apology ;  as  far  as  I  know, 
they  are  the  only  articles  in  the  "Messenger"  thus  editor 
ially  noticed.  Had  the  similarity  ended  with  these  notes 
the  suggestion  here  made  would  be  the  merest  guess ;  in 
addition,  both  papers  dealt  with  the  definition  of  poetry  and 
contained  equally  pronounced  ideas  as  to  its  true  object. 

Another  paper  by  Poe,  worthy  of  special  mention,  was 
Maelzels  Chess-player.  In  this  he  discussed  the  explana 
tions  which  had  been  made  by  Sir  David  Brewster  and 
others  regarding  this  automaton  with  human  intelligence. 
In  discussing  the  various  theories  that  had  been  advanced, 
Poe  gave  evidence  of  his  powers  of  analytical  reasoning. 

There  are  two  series  of  contributions  that  appeared  in 
this  journal  which  serve  to  render  its  pages  somewhat 
humorous.  One  of  these  was  the  column  of  "Editorial  Re 
marks"  before  alluded  to,  and  which  constituted  White's 
entire  contributions.  The  other  was  that  of  his  daughter 
Eliza,  to  whom  Poe  had  addressed  the  album  verse.  She 
not  only  composed  poems,  but  saw  to  it  that  they  were 
published.  Her  contributions  were  usually  Odes  to  Spring 
or  concerned  other  meteorological  phenomena.  The  heart 
shared  in  her  moods,  for  she  dealt  largely  with  the  emo 
tions.  She  exhibited  familiarity  with  all  meters,  and  she 
ran  the  gamut  of  all  possible  rhymes,  yet  one  of  her  most 
successful  poems  was  that  one  in  which  she  made  use  of 
neither.  She  called  it  The  Broken  Heart. 

— yet  did  they  soon  discover 
The  rosy  tinge  upon  her  youthful  cheek 
Concentrate  all  her  radiance  into  one 
Untimely  spot,  and  her  too  delicate  frame 
Wither  away  beneath  the  false  one's  power. 
But  lovelier  yet,  and  brighter  still  she  grew 


POE:  A  BIBLIOGRAPHIC  STUDY      253 

Though  death  was  near  at  hand — as  the  moon  looks 
Most  lovely  as  she  sinks  within  the  sea. 
Her  fond  devoted  parents  watch  with  care 
The  fatal  enemy :  friends  and  physicians 
Exert  their  skill  most  faithfully. 

That  the  effort  to  restore  Eliza  was  successful,  is  evident. 
She  lived  many  years  and  when  in  her  seventies  she  de 
tailed  some  interesting  Poe  reminiscences. 

Although  much  of  Poe's  notable  literary  work  had  ap 
peared  in  the  "Messenger,"  neither  his  tales  nor  his  poems 
received  particular  notice  in  the  columns  of  the  metro 
politan  journals.  Poe's  gibes  and  stings  forced  recognition 
where  his  stories  failed.  These  criticisms  could  not  fail 
seriously  to  wound  the  vanity  of  budding  authors  and  un 
fledged  poets,  and  they  laid  the  foundation  of  bitter 
personal  enmities.  Poe  especially  enjoyed  flinging  sar 
casms  at  those  he  delighted  in  calling  "TheFrogpondians," 
and  they  retorted  in  kind.  The  adverse  criticisms  of  Henry 
James,  our  transplanted  transcendentalist,  were  made 
notable  because  of  Shaw's  sarcastic  flings  in  answer.  Emer 
son's  reference  to  Poe's  "jingling  verses"  are  not  forgotten 
and  they  may  become  the  measure  by  which  generations 
to  come  will  judge  Emerson's  critical  ability.  Nor  can 
all  of  Poe's  critical  reviews  be  judged  by  the  same  high 
standard.  His  capacity  as  a  critic  was  only  exhibited  on 
those  subjects  with  which  he  possessed  personal  familiarity. 

Poe  unhesitatingly  gave  reverence  where  reverence  was 
due.  In  spite  of  the  abnormal  state  which  late  in  his  life  gave 
rise  to  the  "Longfellow  war,"  Poe's  known  appreciation  of 
Longfellow's  poetry  must  not  be  forgotten,  and  his  full 
reviews  of  Bryant,  and  of  Miss  Barrett  and  Tennyson,  is 
evidence  of  his  capacity  for  discriminating  criticism. 

Although  Poe's  connection  with  the  "Messenger"  was  so 
brilliant  a  period  in  his  own  literary  life,  and  although  it 
brought  such  substantial  gain  in  circulation  to  this  journal, 
it  suddenly  came  to  a  close  in  February,  1837.  This  was 


254      POE:  A  BIBLIOGRAPHIC  STUDY 

unquestionably  due  to  the  irregular  life  Poe  led,  and  to  the 
fact  that  he  could  not  long  continue  in  the  drudgery  of 
office  work,  nor  could  he  patiently  bear  the  grind  of  daily 
toil.  Pegasus  hitched  to  a  plow  never  pulled  well. 


The  January  number  had  seemed  to  show  a  recrudes 
cence  of  Poe's  genius.  In  addition  to  the  first  installment  of 
Pym,  it  contained  two  poems,  A  Ballad,  and  To  Zante.  In  a 
review  of  Bryant,  to  whom  he  gave  eighteen  columns,  Poe 
made  an  elaborate  and  comprehensive  study  such  as  it  is 
a  pleasure  to  record.  Although  he  found  much  to  discuss, 
if  not  criticise,  the  fairness  of  his  estimate  at  the  time  it 
was  given  cannot  be  questioned,  and  his  summarization 
is  now  held  to  be  true. 

Therefore,  could  we  consider  the  mere  enjoyment  of  the  beautiful 
when  perceived,  or  even  this  enjoyment  when  combined  with  the 
readiest  and  truest  perceptions  and  discriminations  in  regard  to 
beauty  presented,  as  a  sufficient  test  of  the  poetical  sentiment,  we 
could  have  no  hesitation  in  awarding  to  Mr.  Bryant  the  very  highest 
poetical  rank.  But  something  more,  we  have  elsewhere  presumed  to 
say,  is  demanded.  Just  above,  we  spoke  of  'objects  in  the  moral  or 
physical  universe  coming  within  the  periphery  of  his  vision.'  .  .  . 
Judging  Mr.  Bryant  in  this  manner,  and  by  a  general  estimate  of  the 
volume  before  us,  we  should,  of  course,  pause  long  before  assigning 
him  a  place  with  the  spiritual  Shelleys,  or  Coleridges,  or  Words- 
worths,  or  with  Keats,  or  even  Tennyson,  or  Wilson,  or  with  some 
other  burning  1  ights  of  our  own  day,  to  be  valued  in  a  day  to  come.  .  .  . 
Between  Cowper  and  Young,  perhaps,  would  be  the  post  to  assign 


POE:  A  BIBLIOGRAPHIC  STUDY      255 

him.  Even  in  this  view  he  has  a  juster  appreciation  of  the  beautiful 
than  the  one,  of  the  sublime  than  the  other.  ...  In  regard  to  his 
proper  rank  among  American  poets  there  should  be  no  question.  Few, 
at  least  few  who  are  fairly  before  the  public,  have  more  than  very 
shallow  claims  to  a  rivalry  with  the  author  of  Thanatopsis.' 

Five  other  reviews  for  this  month  exhibit  careful  reading. 
No  definite  explanation  was  made  for  Poe's  resignation 
from  the  ' 'Messenger"  further  than  an  explanatory  note. 

Mr.  Poe's  attention  being  called  in  another  direction,  he  will  de 
cline  with  the  present  number,  the  Editorial  duties  of  the  'Mes 
senger."  His  critical  notices  for  the  month  end  with  Professor  An- 
thon's  Cicero — what  follows  is  from  another  hand.  With  the  best 
wishes  to  the  Magazine,  and  to  its  few  foes  as  well  as  to  its  many 
friends,  he  is  now  desirous  of  bidding  all  parties  a  peaceful  farewell. 

This  is  the  first  of  those  valedictories  that  mark  the 
repeated  failures  in  his  journalistic  life.  That  it  was  not 
altogether  voluntary  is  evident.  That  it  was  desired  by 
White  can  only  be  accounted  for  because  of  his  inability 
to  depend  on  Poe's  steadiness  of  purpose,  and  not  because 
of  any  lack  of  ability  shown  in  the  work  assigned  him.  Poe 
left  his  story,  Arthur  Gordon  Pym,  in  an  unfinished  state 
and  made  no  attempt  at  this  time  to  complete  it;  evi 
dently  some  very  definite  break  had  occurred. 

The  completion  of  Pym  was  delayed  for  a  year,  and  it 
was  then  published  simultaneously  in  New  York  and  in 
London. 

The  English  edition  differs  from  the  American  not  only 
in  its  title  page  but  also  in  size,  the  number  of  pages,  and 
the  quantity  of  reading  matter.  The  last  entry  is  that  of 
March  21st.  Why  the  entry  of  March  22d  was  omitted 
is  not  understandable.  This  entry  carries  the  events  a  day 
further,  and  dangers  grow  more  threatening  by  the  intro 
duction  of  a  "shrouded  human  figure",  complicating,  but 
in  no  way  elucidating,  the  denouement  of  the  plot. 

Woodberry,  in  giving  a  bibliographical  description  of 
this  book,  has  made  peculiar  errors.  In  quoting  the  title 
page,  he  makes  one  omission  and  six  mistakes.  He  sub- 


256      POE:  A  BIBLIOGRAPHIC  STUDY 

stituted  for  the  name  of  the  ship  "Guy,"  Grey.  He 
omitted  the  date  "in  the  month  of  June,  1827."  He  mis 
spelled  "survivers"  and  "farther," — assuming  that  Poe 
had  correctly  spelled  them — and  he  changed  the  punctua 
tion.  He  also  failed  in  properly  naming  the  number  of 
pages.  Knowing  that  Woodberry  occasionally  depended 
on  Griswold  for  those  facts  in  his  biography  which  show 
misinformation,  I  turned  to  the  memoir  of  Griswold  in  the 
preface  to  the  Literati,  and  found  that  my  surmise  was 
correct.  In  vindication  of  Woodberry,  and  of  his  extreme 
accuracy  as  a  copyist,  I  can  further  say  that  his  reproduc 
tion  of  Griswold's  description  was  letter  perfect,  even  to 
the  capitalization  of  certain  outstanding  words  composing 
the  title  page — a  thing  necessarily  arbitrary.  In  the  dis 
cussion  of  this  book,  Woodberry  takes  his  usual  stand  as  a 
critic  of  Poe. 

The  narrative  is  circumstantial  and  might  well  seem  plausible  to 
the  unreflecting  and  credulous,  although  there  are  a  few  slips.  .  .  . 
Its  credibility,  however,  is  not  so  strange,  nor  the  realistic  art  so  in 
genious,  as  might  be  thought,  since  portions  of  it  are  either  suggested 
from  other  lately  printed  books,  such  as  Irving's  "Astoria,"  or 
directly  compiled  (the  detailed  account  of  the  South  Seas  is  taken 
almost  textually  from  Morell's  "Voyages")  by  the  easy  process  of 
close  paraphrase. 

While  the  basis  of  this  opinion  might  not  have  been 
"prejudice,"  it  certainly  was  not  based  on  a  personal  in 
spection  and  examination  of  Morrell :  it  must  have  been 
the  result  of  hearsay  evidence.  This  is  not  a  fair  statement 
of  the  facts,  and  the  most  casual  examination  of  the  two 
books  shows  that  it  is  without  foundation.  For  reasons 
that  I  personally  found  to  be  good,  such  a  comparison  was 
most  difficult.  I  could  find  no  trace  of  Morell  nor  could 
I  find  his  name  in  our  Calif orniana:  search  of  all  available 
lists  or  bibliographies  gave  me  no  evidence  that  such  a 
book  had  ever  been  published.  None  of  the  authorities 
I  consulted  knew  of  such  a  title,  and  its  existence  became 


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258      POE:  A  BIBLIOGRAPHIC  STUDY 

doubtful.  Finally  it  occurred  to  me  to  look  up  in  "Pym" 
Poe's  own  reference  to  this  writer.  There  I  found  that  the 
name  was  not  "Morell"  but  "Morrell" — a  slight  change 
that  identified  the  sought  for  book  as  one  that  had  been 
published  as  described  and  spelled  by  Poe.  Its  acquirement 
was  a  more  difficult  matter.  My  nearest  approach  was : 

SCENES,  INCIDENTS  AND  ADVENTURES  IN  THE  PACIFIC 
OCEAN,  or  the  Islands  of  the  Australian  Sea  during  the 
cruise  of  the  Clipper  Margaret  Oakley,  under  the  Com 
mand  of  Capt.  Benjamin  Morrell.  Clearing  up  the  mys 
tery  which  has  heretofore  surrounded  this  famous  expe 
dition,  and  containing  a  full  account  of  the  exploration 
of  the  Bidera,  Papua,  Banda,  Mindoro,  Sooloo,  and 
China  Seas,  the  manners  and  customs  of  the  Inhabitants 
of  the  Islands,-  and  a  description  of  the  vast  regions 
never  before  visited  by  Civilized  Man." 

This  book  was  written  by  Thomas  Jefferson  Jacobs,  and 
definitely  established  that  to  which  before  I  had  only 
found  an  unsatisfactory  reference.  Diligent  search  was 
finally  rewarded,  and  I  secured  not  only  the  original  work 
of  Morrell,  but  also  that  of  his  wife,  who  had  accompanied 
him  on  one  of  these  voyages.  She  not  only  corroborated 
many  of  the  incidents  related  by  Captain  Morrell,  but 
further,  and  minutely,  discussed  the  sentiments  called  forth 
by  her  husband's  love  for  her,  and  his  consideration  in  mar 
rying  her  and  taking  her  with  him  on  this  voyage ;  also  her 
pursuit  by  those  in  whose  charge  her  husband  had  left  her 
and  who  should  have  protected  her,  the  whole  inter 
spersed  with  observations  and  deductions  drawn  from  the 
experiences  of  extensive  travel  on  a  receptive  mind.  In  the 
matter  of  sentiment,  the  assertion  of  patriotic  motives,  and 
a  highly  developed  moral  and  religious  code,  Captain 
Morrell  set  her  a  prolix  example,  not  in  all  ways  borne  out 
by  the  statements  of  Jacobs. 


POE:  A  BIBLIOGRAPHIC  STUDY      259 

Morrell's  "Narrative"  read: 

A  NARRATIVE  OF  FOUR  VOYAGES,  To  the  South  Sea,  North 
and  South  Pacific  Ocean,  Chinese  Sea,  Ethiopic  and 
Southern  Atlantic  Ocean,  Indian  and  Antarctic  Ocean. 
From  the  year  1822  to  183 1 .  Comprising  critical  surveys 
of  Coasts  and  Islands,  With  Sailing  Directions.  And  an 
Account  of  Some  new  and  valuable  discoveries,  includ 
ing  the  Massacre  Islands,  where  thirteen  of  the  Author's 
Crew  were  Massacred  and  eaten  by  Cannibals.  To 
which  is  prefixed  A  Brief  Sketch  of  the  Author's  Early 
Life.  By  Capt.  Benjamin  Morrell,  Jun.  New  York: 
Harper  &z  Brothers,  Cliff  Street,  1832. 
This  book  was  dedicated  to  the  "Hon.  Levi  Woodbury, 
Sectretary  U.  S.  Navy." 

These  three  books  entirely  exculpate  Poe  from  either 
servilely  copying  Morrell,  or  paraphrasing  him.  No  inci 
dent  related  bears  the  slightest  resemblance  to  the  dangers, 
sufferings,  horrors  and  mutinies  to  which  Pym  was  sub 
jected,  further  than  the  fact  that  Captain  Morrell  lost  a  few 
men  in  his  attempt  to  establish  a  trading  station.  He  lost 
no  ship  and  had,  outside  his  one  misfortune,  no  exciting 
adventures.  Being  a  man  of  scientific  mind  Captain  Mor 
rell  did  make  and  relate  certain  zoological  observations  that 
Poe  copied,  and  also  mentioned  other  details,  geographical 
and  historical.  Poe  refers  to  these  voyages  of  Morrell's, 
repeatedly  quoting  statements,  and  he  makes  no  effort  to 
conceal  their  source.  Occasionally  he  paraphrases  and 
judiciously  condenses  the  somewhat  verbose  descriptions 
of  Morrell,  as  when  he  describes  the  nesting  penguins  and 
albatross.  Neither  in  conception,  narrative,  plot,  nor  action, 
does  the  voyage  of  Pym  bear  the  slightest  resemblance  to 
those  of  Morrell.  In  addition,  Poe  quotes  the  narratives  of 
Captain  Cook  and  of  other  captains  who  sailed  these  seas. 
Poe  made  use  of  their  reports  for  his  historical,  zoologi 
cal,  and  geographical  facts,  and  freely  acknowledged  his 


260      POE:  A  BIBLIOGRAPHIC  STUDY 

indebtedness.  As  far  as  I  can  judge  his  inventions  were 
original.  He  enumerated  numberless  horrors:  starvation, 
confinement  in  a  rat-infested  hole  in  the  bottom  of  the 
ship,  a  fight  with  a  mad-dog  and  with  men  more  brutal, 
the  shipwreck  with  its  accompanying  hardships,  the  ap 
proaching  rescue  ship  of  death  with  the  horrors  it  con 
tained,  and  other  occurrences  equally  exciting,  revolting 
and  overwhelming. 

Looking  toward  Augustus,  I  perceived  that  he  had  become  at  once 
deadly  pale,  and  that  his  lips  were  quivering  in  the  most  singular  and 
unaccountable  manner.  Greatly  alarmed,  I  took  notice  of  his  eyes, 
which  were  glaring  at  some  object  behind  me.  I  turned  my  head  and 
shall  never  forget  the  ecstatic  joy  that  thrilled  through  every  particle 
of  my  frame,  when  I  perceived  a  large  brig  bearing  down  on  us.  ... 
The  vessel  in  sight  was  evidently  a  large  hermaphrodite  brig  of  a 
Dutch  build  .  .  .  and  had  suffered  much  in  the  gale  which  had 
proved  so  disastrous  to  us.  ...  The  awkward  manner  in  which  she 
sailed  was  remarked  by  us.  She  yawed  about  so  considerably,  that 
once  or  twice  we  thought  it  impossible  she  could  see  us.  Upon  each  of 
these  occasions  we  screamed  and  shouted  at  the  top  of  our  voices, 
when  the  stranger  would  appear  for  a  moment  to  change  her  intention, 
and  again  hold  to  us.  No  person  was  seen  upon  the  decks  until  she 
arrived  in  about  a  quarter  of  a  mile  of  us.  We  then  saw  three  seamen, 
whom  by  their  dress  we  took  to  be  Hollanders.  Two  of  these  were 
lying  on  some  old  sails  near  the  forecastle,  and  the  third  who  appeared 
to  be  looking  at  us  with  great  curiosity,  was  leaning  over  the  starboard 
bow  near  the  bowsprit.  This  last  was  a  tall  stout  man,  with  a  very 
dark  skin.  He  seemed  by  his  manner  to  be  encouraging  us  to  have 
patience,  nodding  to  us  in  a  cheerful  although  rather  odd  way,  and 
smiling  constantly  so  as  to  display  a  set  of  the  most  brilliantly  white 
teeth.  The  brig  came  on  slowly  and  now  more  steadily  than  before 
<  .  .  we  poured  our  whole  soul  in  shouts  of  thanksgiving  to  God  for 
the  complete  unexpected  and  glorious  deliverance.  Of  a  sudden  there 
came  wafted  over  the  ocean  a  smell,  a  stench,  such  as  the  world  has 
no  name  for — no  conception  of — hellish — utterly  suffocating — insuf 
ferable,  inconceivable.  .  .  .  The  brig  was  within  fifty  feet  of  us,  when 
suddenly  a  wide  yaw  threw  her  off  full  five  or  six  points  and  as  she 
passed  under  our  stern  we  had  a  full  view  of  her.  Shall  I  ever  forget 
the  triple  horror  of  that  spectacle?  Twenty-five  or  thirty  human 
bodies,  among  whom  were  several  females,  lay  scattered  about  in  the 
last  and  most  loathsome  state  of  putrefaction!  We  plainly  saw  that 
not  a  soul  lived  in  that  fated  vessel.  Yet  we  could  not  help  shouting  to 
the  dead  for  help!  .  .  .  We  were  raving  with  horror  and  despair — 
...  As  our  first  loud  yell  of  terror  broke  forth,  it  was  replied  to  by 
something  from  near  the  bowsprit  of  the  stranger  so  closely  resembling 


POE:  A  BIBLIOGRAPHIC  STUDY      261 

the  scream  of  a  human  voice  that  the  nicest  ear  might  have  been 
startled  and  deceived.  At  this  moment  another  sudden  yaw  brought 
the  region  of  the  forecastle  into  view  and  we  beheld  the  origin  of  the 
sound.  We  saw  the  tall  stout  figure  still  leaning  on  the  bulwark,  and 
still  nodding  his  head  to  and  fro,  but  his  face  was  now  turned  from  us 
so  that  we  could  not  behold  it.  His  arms  were  extended  over  the  rail, 
and  the  palms  of  his  hands  fell  outward.  .  .  .  On  his  back,  from 
which  a  portion  of  the  shirt  had  been  torn,  leaving  it  bare,  there  sat  a 
huge  seagull,  busily  gorging  itself  with  the  horrible  flesh,  its  bill  and 
talons  deep  buried,  and  its  white  plumage  spattered  with  blood.  .  .  . 
The  gull  arose  lazily  from  the  body  upon  which  it  had  been  feasting, 
and  flying  directly  above  our  deck,  hovered  there  awhile  with  a  por 
tion  of  clotted  and  liver-like  substance  in  its  beak.  The  horrid  morsel 
dropped  at  length  with  a  sudden  splash  immediately  at  the  feet  of 
Parker.  May  God  forgive  me !  but  now  there  flashed  through  my  mind 
a  thought,  a  thought  which  I  will  not  mention,  and  I  felt  myself 
making  a  step  towards  the  ensanguined  spot.  I  looked  upward,  and 
the  eyes  of  Augustus  met  my  own  with  a  degree  of  intense  and  eager 
meaning  which  immediately  brought  me  to  my  senses.  ...  As  the 
gull  relieved  it  of  its  weight  it  swung  round  and  fell  partly  over.  .  .  . 
Never  surely  was  any  object  so  terribly  full  of  awe!  The  eyes  were 
gone,  and  the  whole  flesh  around  the  mouth,  leaving  the  teeth  utterly 
naked.  This  then  was  the  smile  which  had  cheered  us  on  to  hope! 

This  is  a  record  of  misfortunes  that  not  even  Pym  could 
have  met  and  long  survived.  The  fact  of  sailing  the  south 
seas  and  meeting  with  geographical  features  and  zoologi 
cal  data  that  were  either  copied  or  paraphrased  should 
cause  no  comment.  PynVs  descriptions  and  the  plot  of  his 
story  alone  call  for  criticism.  There  is  no  possibility  of 
plagiarism.  Such  a  description  as  I  have  quoted,  though 
full  of  the  essence  of  horror  and  disgust,  necessarily  is 
the  handiwork  of  a  master.  Certain  of  these  revolting 
details,  such  as  that  of  Pym  and  his  companions  drawing 
lots  as  to  who  should  be  sacrificed  for  the  preservation  of 
the  rest,  or  insanity  by  reason  of  hardships  and  exposure, 
murders  artistically  planned  and  stratagems  adopted  for 
overpowering  mutineers  and  savages,  occasionally  have 
been  recorded ;  but  Morrell  details  none  of  these,  further 
than  his  own  bravery  when  he  slaughtered,  from  a  dis 
tance,  many  savages  in  retaliation  for  their  forcible 
objection  to  his  occupation  of  their  island. 


262      POE:  A  BIBLIOGRAPHIC  STUDY 

Woodberry's  mistaking  the  spelling  of  Morrell  is  but  a 
small  matter,  and  was  the  result  of  copying  Harrison  too 
faithfully.  His  assertion  that  the  plot  and  material  facts 
were  either  suggested  by  or  copied  from  Morrell  was 
original.  The  fact  that  it  resulted  in  an  exciting  book  hunt 
should  not  be  held  against  him.  Probably  the  book  is  not 
so  rare  as  I  had  supposed ;  after  the  correct  spelling  was 
established,  my  strenuous  search  located  two  other  copies. 

Local  pride  induces  me  to  interject  Morrell's  description 
of  San  Francisco  as  he  found  it  in  the  year  1825. 

The  bay  of  San  Francisco,  connected  with  the  surrounding  scenery, 
is  the  most  delightful  place  I  have  ever  seen  on  the  western  coast  of 
America.  It  presents  a  broad  sheet  of  water,  of  sufficient  extent  to 
float  all  the  British  navy  without  crowding;  the  circling  grassy  shores, 
indented  with  convenient  coves,  and  the  whole  surrounded  by  a 
blooming  verdant  country,  pleasingly  diversified  with  cultured  fields 
and  waving  forests ;  meadows  clothed  with  the  richest  verdure  in  the 
gift  of  bounteous  May ;  pastures  covered  with  grazing  herds ;  hill  and 
dale,  mountain  and  valley,  noble  rivers,  and  gurgling  brooks.  Man, 
enlightened,  civilized  man,  alone  is  wanting  to  complete  the  picture, 
and  give  a  soul,  a  divinity  to  the  whole.  Were  these  beautiful  regions 
which  have  been  so  much  libelled,  and  are  so  little  known,  the  pro 
perty  of  the  United  States,  our  government  would  never  permit  them 
to  remain  thus  neglected.  The  Eastern  and  Middle  states  would  pour 
out  their  thousands  of  emigrants,  until  magnificent  cities  would  rise 
on  the  shore  of  every  inlet  along  the  coast,  while  the  wilderness  of 
the  interior  would  be  made  to  blossom  like  a  rose. 

Possibly  it  was  well  that  Poe  did  condense  and  para 
phrase. 

This  story  of  Captain  Pym  received  but  scant  attention 
in  America.  That,  in  England,  "such  was  the  realism  of  the 
narrative  that  it  was  taken  for  genuine"  is  a  matter  of 
surprise.  The  fact  that  this  story,  as  well  as  the  one  of 
M.  Valdemar,  was  believed,  makes  it  evident  that  both  the 
English  and  Scotch  are  more  credulous  than  their  descend 
ants  now  inhabiting  Missouri.  "The  Narrative  of  Arthur 
Gordon  Pym' '  does  not  impress  me  as  possessing  either  a  well 
conceived  plot,  or  a  development  of  action  and  incident 
worthy  of  Poe.  While,  with  his  usual  facility,  he  invents 


POE:  A  BIBLIOGRAPHIC  STUDY      263 

horrors  unbelievable,  and  his  imagination  runs  riot  in 
conceiving  awful  images,  and  in  picturing  the  unknown 
Antarctic  region  with  its  majestic  tropical  fauna  where  we 
should  have  expected  snow-environed  inhabitants,  he  so 
indiscriminately  heaps  disaster  upon  disaster,  and  invents 
such  impossible  catastrophes  which  necessarily  lead  to  the 
certain  destruction  of  Pym  and  his  companions,  that  he 
leaves  not  even  a  deus  ex,  machina  for  their  extrication. 

Poe  ended  this  story  with  an  explanatory  note  in  which 
he  states  that,  by  reason  of  "the  late  sudden  and  distress 
ing  death  of  Mr.  Pym"  the  concluding  chapters,  describing 
his  manner  of  escape,  "which  were  to  have  completed  his 
narrative,  and  which  were  to  be  retained  by  him  for  the 
purpose  of  revision,  have  been  irrevocably  lost."  This 
statement  makes  a  lame  and  impotent  conclusion  to  a 
most  impossible  situation.  The  added  hieroglyphs,  with 
suggested  decipherments,  are  not  worthy  of  Poe's  known 
ability  as  a  cryptographer. 

I  subjoin  the  description  of  the  majestic  surroundings 
and  the  approaching  doom  that  threatened  to  overwhelm 
the  helpless  crew : 

March  2 1 .  A  sullen  darkness  now  hovered  above  us — but  from  out 
the  milky  depths  of  the  ocean  a  luminous  glare  arose,  and  stole  up 
along  the  bulwarks  of  the  boat.  We  were  nearly  overwhelmed  by  the 
white  ashy  shower  which  settled  upon  us  and  upon  the  canoe,  but 
melted  into  the  water  as  it  fell.  The  summit  of  the  cataract  was  utterly 
lost  in  the  dimness  and  the  distance.  Yet  we  were  evidently  approach 
ing  it  with  a  hideous  velocity.  At  intervals  there  were  visible  in  it  wide, 
yawning,  but  momentary  rents,  and  from  out  these  rents,  within 
which  was  a  chaos  of  flitting  and  indistinct  images,  there  came  rushing 
and  mighty,  but  soundless  winds,  tearing  up  the  enkindled  ocean  in 
its  course. 

The  English  publication  ends  at  this  date,  but  the  Amer 
ican  carries  the  story  of  events  one  day  further : 

March  22.  The  darkness  had  materially  increased,  relieved  only  by 
the  glare  of  the  water  thrown  back  from  the  white  curtain  before  us. 
Many  gigantic  and  pallidly  white  birds  flew  continuously  now  from 
beyond  the  veil,  and  their  scream  was  the  eternal  Tekli-li!  as  they  re- 


264      POE:  A  BIBLIOGRAPHIC  STUDY 

treated  from  our  vision.  Hereupon  Nu-Nu  stirred  in  the  bottom  of  the 
boat;  but  on  touching  him  we  found  that  his  spirit  had  departed.  And 
now  we  rushed  into  the  embraces  of  the  cataract,  where  a  chasm  threw 
itself  open  to  receive  us.  But  there  arose  in  our  pathway  a  shrouded 
human  figure,  very  far  larger  in  its  proportions  than  any  dweller 
among  men.  And  the  hue  of  the  skin  of  the  figure  was  of  the  perfect 
whiteness  of  the  snow. 

So  ends  this  story  of  horrors.  Why  Poedid  not  complete 
it  I  cannot  conceive.  That  he  possessed  sufficient  imagina 
tion  to  have  taken  us  into  this  unknown  and  tropical 
Antarctic  World  which  he  had  conceived,  is  not  to  be  ques 
tioned.  The  wonder  to  me  is  that  he  could  have  resisted  so 
opportune  an  occasion  for  depicting  another  balloon-hoax. 

It  seems  to  have  been  the  custom  during  these  years  to 
publish  a  Christmas  Annual  containing  poems,  tales,  and 
moralities,  suitable  for  greetings  and  presents.  Apparently 
the  best  known  writers  contributed,  and  it  is  probable  that 
such  articles  brought  some  remuneration  to  their  writers ; 
if  not,  these  Annuals  brought  very  desirable  publicity. 

I  will  summarize  those  to  which  Poe  contributed, 
although  their  issuance  covered  several  years. 

THE  GIFT:  A  Christmas  and  New  Year's  present 
for  1836.  Edited  by  Miss  Leslie,  Philadelphia:  E.  L. 
Carey  and  A.  Hart. 

Much  to  Poe's  annoyance,  Miss  Leslie  chose  the  twice- 
told  story  MS.  Found  in  a  Bottle.  With  justice  Poe  com 
plained  of  this  second  reproduction: 

The  Gift  [Miss  Leslie's  Annual  for  1836]  is  out.  They  have  pub 
lished  The  MS.  Found  in  a  Bottle  (the  prize  tale  you  will  remember,) 
although  I  not  only  told  Mr.  Carey  myself  that  it  had  been  published, 
but  wrote  him  to  that  effect  on  my  return  to  Baltimore,  and  sent  him 
another  tale  in  place  of  it  (Epimanes).  I  can  not  understand  why  they 
have  published  it — or  why  they  have  not  published  either  Slope 
[Silence]  or  Epimanes  [Four  Beasts]. 

The  Gift  also  contained  contributions  from  Paulding, 
Irving  and  other  writers  known  and  unknown.  Among  the 
unknown  was  a  writer  named  Thompson,  four  of  whose 


SIOPE— -A  FABLE. 

[In  the  manner  of  the  Psychological  Autobiographies.] 


EDOAn   A.  FOB. 


Ours  is  a  world  of  words:  Gluiet  we  call 
Silence — which  is  the  merest  word  of  all. 

Al  Aaraaf. 

"Listen  to  me,"  said  the  Demon,  as  he  placed  his 
hand  upon  my  head.  **There  is  a  spot  upon  this  ac 
cursed  earth  which  thou  hast  never  yet  beheld.  And 
if  by  any  chance  thou  hast  beheld  it,  it  must  have  been 
in  one  of  those  vigorous  dreams  which  come  like  the 
Simoom  upon  the  brain  of  the  sleeper  who  hath  lain 
down  to  sleep  among  the  forbidden  sunbeams — among 
the  sunbeams,  I  say,  which  slide  from  off  the  solemn 
columns  of  the  melancholy  temples  in  the  wilderness. 
The  region  of  which  I  speak  is  a  dreary  region  in  Libya, 
by  the  borders  of  the  river  Zaire.  And  there  is  no 
<juiet  there,  nor  silence. 

"The  waters  of  the  river  have  a  saffron  and  sickly 
hue— and  they  flow  not  onwards  to  the  sea,  but  palpi 
tate  forever  and  forever  beneath  the  red  eye  of  the  sun 
with  a  tumultuous  and  convulsive  motion.  For  many 


266      POE:  A  BIBLIOGRAPHIC  STUDY 

stories  were  published.  That  one  —  or  all  —  of  his  could  not 
have  been  omitted,  and  room  found  for  Slope,  cannot  be 
explained  by  unappreciation.  Deficient  as  those  times  were 
in  literary  comprehension,  such  a  story  could  not  have 
been  passed  over,  though  it  might  not  have  possessed  the 
public  appeal  contained  in  the  MS.  Found  in  a  Bottle. 
The  selection  of  certain  stories  that,  from  literary  consid 
erations,  are  so  utterly  worthless  can  only  be  accounted  for 
by  Poe's  suggestion,  quid  pro  quo. 

THE  BALTIMORE  BOOK,  A  Christmas  and  New  Year's 
Present:  Edited  by  W.  H.  Carpenter  and  T.  S.  Arthur. 
Baltimore  ;  MDCCCXXXVI  1  1  . 

Harrison,  ever  considerate  and  tender  of  Poe,  thor 
oughly  appreciative  but  at  times  overfond,  in  the  following 
criticism  does  not  overpraise  or  underrate  the  excellence  of 
this  issue  of  "The  Baltimore  Book/' 

In  a  faded  and  time  stained  copy  of  the  Baltimore  Book  for  1839 
[1838]  edited  by  W.  H.  Carpenter  and  T.  S.  Arthur,  now  lying  before 
us,  we  find  Slope  a  fable  (in  the  manner  of  the  psychological  auto- 
biographists)  by  Edgar  A.  Poe. 

'Ours  is  a  world  of  words  :  quiet  we  call 
Silence  —  which  is  the  merest  word  of  all.' 

(AL  AARAAF)  . 

the  earliest  form  of  allegory  which  is  perhaps  Poe's  most  majestic 
piece  of  prose,  worthy  of  Jean  Paul  Richter  in  its  music  and  its  mag 
nificence.  This  earliest  form  of  the  fable  is  destitute  of  the  fine  lines 
from  the  Greek  of  Alcman  [Alcmaeon]  and  their  English  interpreta 
tion  by  Poe,  found  in  later  editions,  and  shows  that  Arthur  Gordon 
Pym  did  not  wholly  occupy  the  Poet's  attention  at  this  time. 

These  were  the  lines  referred  to. 


TS  xai 


The  mountain  pinnacles  slumber  ;  valleys,  crags  and  caves  are  tileni. 

In  my  opinion  it  is  not  a  happy  substitution,  although 
the  Greek  words  look  impressive.  As  Poe  himself  once  upon 
a  time  explained  in  The  Psyche  Zenobia,  his  satirical  story 


POE:  A  BIBLIOGRAPHIC  STUDY      267 

written  to  ridicule  certain  English  writers,  and  which  was 
later  named  How  To  Write  A  Blackwood  Article,  the  Greek 
letters  give  not  only  a  dignity  of  appearance  but  an  air  of 
learning  that  is  most  impressive. 

The  very  letters  have  an  air  of  profundity  about  them.  Only  ob 
serve,  madam,  the  acute  look  of  thatEpsilon.  That  Phi  certainly  ought 
to  be  a  Bishop!  Was  there  ever  a  smarter  fellow  than  that  Omicron? 
Just  twig  that  Tau.  In  short  there  is  nothing  like  Greek  for  a  genuine 
popper-sensation. 

That  Poe  later  adopted  this  same  substitution  shows  a 
lack  of  "good  memory." 

THE  GIFT  :  A  Christmas  and  New  Year's  Present  for  1840. 
Edited  by  Miss  Leslie,  Philadelphia :  Carey  &  Hart. 

4 The  Gift,"  which  appeared  first  in  1836  and  was  regu 
larly  published  during  the  following  years,  contained  noth 
ing  further  by  Poe  until  the  issue  of  1840,  when  William 
Wilson,  a  psychological  self-study,  well  worth  the  attention 
of  Poe  students,  appeared.  The  priority  of  appearance  is  in 
question,  as  the  story  was  first  published  in  the  October, 
1839,  issue  of  "The  Gentleman's  Magazine,"  although  it  is 
credited  to  the  1840  Gift.  Of  all  that  Poe  wrote,  nothing 
more  firmly  establishes  the  essential  sanity  and  the  intro 
spective  faculty  of  his  mind,  than  does  this  story.  As  an 
analysis  of  character,  and  an  attempt  to  understand  one's 
own  personality,  and  as  an  expression  of  outraged  con 
science,  it  has  no  equal.  It  is  not  only  a  psychological 
study;  it  is  also  a  presentment  of  the  double  personality 
that  so  bitterly  contended  for  the  possession  of  Poe's  soul. 
That  Poe  recognized  his  defeat,  and  realized  that  he  was 
no  longer  able  to  resist  the  hereditary  evil  that  finally 
dominated  and  overcame  him,  is  shown  in  the  concluding 
lines: 

I  immediately  returned  to  my  dying  antagonist.  But  what  human 
language  can  adequately  portray  that  astonishment,  that  horror  which 
possessed  me  at  the  spectacle  then  presented  to  view.  The  brief 


268      POE:  A  BIBLIOGRAPHIC  STUDY 

moment  in  which  I  had  averted  my  eyes  had  been  sufficient  to  pro 
duce,  apparently, la  material  change  in  the  arrangements  at  the  upper 
or  farther  end  of  the  room.  A  large  mirror,  it  appeared  to  me,  now- 
stood  where  none  had  been  perceptible  to  me  before;  and,  as  I  stepped 
up  to  it  in  extremity  of  terror,  mine  own  image,  but  with  features  all 
pale  and  dabbled  in  blood,  advanced,  with  a  feeble  and  a  tottering 
gait,  to  meet  me. 

Thus  it  appeared,  I  say,  but  was  not.  It  was  my  antagonist — it  was 
Wilson,  who  stood  before  me  in  the  agonies  of  his  dissolution.  Not  a 
line  in  all  the  marked  and  singular  liniments  of  that  face  which  was 
not,  even  identically,  mine  own!  His  mask  and  cloak  lay,  where  he 
had  thrown  them,  upon  the  floor. 

It  was  Wilson  but  he  spoke  no  longer  in  a  whisper,  and  I  could  have 
fancied  that  I  myself  was  speaking  while  he  said — You  have  conquered 
and  I  yield.  Yet,  henceforward,  art  thou  also  dead — dead  to  the  world 
and  its  hopes.  In  me  did'st  thou  exist — and  in  my  death,  see  by  this 
image,  which  is  thine  own,  how  utterly  thou  hast  murdered  thyself. 

THE  GIFT  :  A  Christmas  and  New  Year's  Present  for  1842. 
Philadelphia :  Carey  &  Hart. 

This  contains  Eleonora,  another  autobiographical  study. 

In  this  instance  the  theme  is  wedded  love,  and  is  based 
upon  the  affection  Poe  bore  his  wife.  While  this  was  written 
three  years  before  Virginia's  death,  it  cannot  be  doubted 
that  he  saw  the  end  and  keenly  realized  that  she  was  not 
to  remain  with  him.  That  this  thought  at  times  drove  him 
frantic  is  evidenced  in  his  letters,  and  the  realization 
that  his  wife  was  fore-doomed  overwhelmed  him  with 
grief.  In  Eleonora  a  picture  is  drawn  that  was  in  no  sense 
imaginary;  it  had  an  actual  basis  in  the  foundation  of 
Poe's  life.  This  story  so  accurately  reproduces  the  events 
which  led  up  to  Poe's  marriage  with  his  cousin,  and  so 
pathetically  details  the  happiness  their  union  brought  that 
it  should  set  at  rest  any  question  of  the  love  Poe  gave  his 
wife,  even  though  their  marriage  was  one  of  convenience. 

THE  GIFT:  A  Christmas  and  New  Year's  Present.  MDCCO 
XLIII.  Philadelphia:  Carey  &  Hart. 

In  this  was  published  The  Pit  and  the  Pendulum,  in 
which  Poe  crowds  into  one  narration  all  the  possible  hor- 


POE:  A  BIBLIOGRAPHIC  STUDY      269 

rors  that  could  overcome  one  in  the  presence  of  approaching 
death.  It  is  a  tale  of  the  Spanish  Inquisition,  diabolically 
conceived,  and  excellently  told.  It  was  worthy  of  inclusion 
in  the  narrative  of  Pym. 

THE  GIFT.  A  Christmas,  New  Year,  and  Birthday  Present. 
MDCCCXLV.  Philadelphia:  Carey  &  Hart.  1845. 

This  volume  seems  to  have  been  enlarged  to  quarto, 
or  at  least  to  large  octavo,  possibly  for  the  purpose  of 
better  accommodating  itself  to  its  new  function.  Poe's 
contribution — The  Purloined  Letter — is  trifling.  In  addition 
to  this  Poe  story,  a  few  other  well-known  writers  are 
represented :  Emerson  by  a  Dirge  patterned  after — but  as  I 
remember  to  have  heard  some  one  say — "a  very  long  way 
after,"  Burns.  Among  many  now  forgotten  names,  that  of 
Longfellow  twice  appears,  for  this  Gift  contains  A  Gleam 
of  Sunshine  and  The  Hemlock  Tree. 

THE  OPAL:  A  Pure  Gift  for  the  Holy  Days.  Edited  by 
N.  P.  Willis.  With  nine  Illustrations,  by  J.  G.  Chapman. 
New  York:  John  C.  Riker  15  Anne  Street.  1844. 

The  Opal  was  issued  by  a  New  York  house,  under  the 
editorship  of  Willis.  There  was  a  change  not  only  of  con 
tributors,  but  in  the  character  of  the  subjects  chosen.  As  a 
rule  these  are  either  highly  moral  or  distinctly  religious. 
Scriptural  Prophecy  occupies  a  prominent  position,  and 
God  will  Appoint  a  Deliverer,  The  Triumph  of  Christianity, 
and  Religious  Biography  are  among  the  subjects  treated. 
Is  Death  the  King  of  Terrors?  and  The  Dream  of  a  Consump 
tive,  are  filled  with  consolatory  thoughts  for  the  dying  and 
the  Dream  ends  with  the  triumphal  chaunt : 

My  dream  was  kindly  given — 

The  spirit's  parting  sign, 
One  glimpse  of  earth  in  beauty  bright, 

Ere  breaks  the  morn  divine. 


270      POE:  A  BIBLIOGRAPHIC  STUDY 

Ah!  see  the  skies  are  parting  now, 

A  holier  light  is  shed— 
I  come,  I  come!" — and  that  fair  girl 

Was  gathered  to  the  dead ! 

These  lines  are  characteristic  of  the  contents  as  a  whole, 
maudlin  and  unduly  religious. 

According  to  the  title  page,  this  volume  was  "embel 
lished"  with  edifying  scenes;  among  them  were  Christ 
Walking  on  the  Sea,  The  Mother's  Grave,  the  Dream  of  the 
Consumptive,  illustrated,  and  the  Daughter  of  Jairus. 

To  this  Opal  Poe  contributed  A  Morning  on  the  Wissa- 
hiccon.  It  is  a  pot-boiler,  possibly  suggested  by  a  sketch  in 
the  December  1835  "Messenger"  similarly  titled,  but  this 
was  in  no  sense  the  prototype.  It  is  possible  that  Poe  wrote 
this  Messenger  description,  but  its  contents  do  not  justify 
such  a  deduction.  The  introduction  of  the  elk  was  a  real 
istic  touch  not  in  the  original  story  and  it  could  well  have 
been  omitted. 

Harrison,  in  introducing  his  discussion  of  "The  Con- 
chologist's  First  Text  Book",  Poe's  chief  contribution  to 
Zoology,  says: 

The  year  1839  was  signalized  by  two  events, — one  unimportant, 
but  remarkable  as  showing  the  spirit  of  his  enemies,  the  publication  of 
The  Conchologists  First  Book;  the  other  as  witnessing  the  issue  of 
perhaps  the  most  original  volume  of  short  stories  ever  published — the 
Tales  of  the  Grotesque  and  Arabesque. 

As  we  write,  the  first  and  second  editions  of  the  manual  on  con- 
chology  are  before  us.  The  facsimile  of  the  title  page  of  the  edition 
of  1839  reveals  all  the  minutiae  of  the  descriptive  title  once  in 
vogue.  .  .  .  The  outside  cover  has  a  stamped  illustration  of  shells, 
weeds,  and  grasses,  and  the  book  is  bound  in  paper  boards. 

THE  CONCHOLOGIST'S  FIRST  BOOK  :  or,  A  System  of  Testa 
ceous  Malacology,  Arranged  expressly  for  the  use  of 
Schools,  in  which  the  animals,  according  to  Cuvier,  are 
given  with  the  shells,  a  great  number  of  new  species 
added,  and  the  whole  brought  up,  as  accurately  as  pos 
sible,  to  the  present  condition  of  the  science.  By  Edgar 


POE:  A  BIBLIOGRAPHIC  STUDY      271 

A.  Poe.  With  illustrations  of  two  hundred  and  fifteen 
shells,  presenting  a  correct  type  of  each  genus.  Phila 
delphia:  Published  for  the  author,  by  Haswell,  Barring- 
ton,  and  Haswell,  and  for  sale  by  the  principal  book 
sellers  in  the  United  States.  1839. 
It  is  to  be  noticed  that  this  book  was  attributed  to  Poe 
alone,  and  that  no  other  name  was  mentioned  either  as 
editor  or  author. 

Occasionally  it  happens  that  when  a  thief  breaks  in 
and  steals  it  is  necessary  for  him  to  use  a  "fence"  for  the 
disposal  of  his  stolen  goods.  In  this  case,  it  was  one  "Profes 
sor"  Wyatt  who  not  only  stole  the  goods  but,  in  connec 
tion  with  Isaac  Lea,  the  printer,  arranged  the  contents  and 
attended  to  the  publication  of  the  whole  work ;  Poe  prob 
ably  knew  little  of  its  derivation  but  allowed  his  name  to 
be  used  for  a  financial  consideration.  At  this  time  Poe's 
name  was  beginning  to  be  well  known.  It  is  true  that  Poe 
did  write  the  title  page,  and  certainly  he  composed  the 
Preface.  The  name  of  both  Wyatt  and  Lea  are  most  care 
fully  suppressed,  and  no  mention  is  made  of  either  except, 
incidentally,  in  the  preface : 

In  conclusion,  the  Author  has  only  to  acknowledge  his  great  in 
debtedness  to  the  valuable  public  labors,  as  well  as  private  assistance, 
of  Mr.  Isaac  Lea  of  Philadelphia.  To  Mr.  Thomas  Wyatt,  and  his  late 
excellent  Manual  of  Conchology,  he  is  also  under  many  obligations.  No 
better  work,  perhaps,  could  be  put  in  the  hands  of  the  student  as  a 
secondary  text  book.  Its  beautiful  and  well  colored  illustrations  afford 
an  aid,  in  the  collection  of  a  cabinet,  scarcely  to  be  met  with  elsewhere. 

E.  A.  P. 

Harrison  is  my  authority  for  the  statement : 

Wyatt  had  published  through  the  Harpers  an  expensive  work  that 
would  not  sell :  hence  turning  to  Poe  as  a  necessitous  litterateur  of  the 
day,  willing  and  anxious  for  a  pot  boiler,  he  engaged  the  Poet  to 
popularize  the  work,  and  to  issue  an  edition  under  his  own  (Poe's) 
name.  Wyatt  sold  the  book  himself. 

It  would  seem  that  Poe  was  only  the  stool-pigeon,  for 
there  was  a  reason,  and  a  very  grave  reason,  why  Wyatt 
did  not  desire  to  father  the  work. 


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POE:  A  BIBLIOGRAPHIC  STUDY      273 

There  is  no  mention,  either  in  the  preface  or  in  any  part 
of  the  book,  of  a  small  volume  which,  after  many  years  of 
search,  is  a  part  of  my  collection. 

THE  CONCHOLOGIST'S  TEXT-BOOK.  Embracing  the  Ar 
rangements  of  Lamarck  and  Linneaus,  with  a  Glossary 
of  Technical  Terms  by  Captain  Thomas  Brown,  Fellow 
of  the  Linnaean  Society,  Member  of  the  Wernerian,  Kirk- 
wanian  and  Phrenological  Societies,  and  late  President 
of  the  Royal  Physical  Society,  etc.,  etc.,  etc.,  Illustrated 
by  nineteen  engravings  on  steel.  Glasgow:  Archibald 
Fullarton  &  Co. :  MDCCCXXXIII. 

Alhough  there  was  nowhere  any  mention  of  Brown,  Wyatt, 
through  the  medium  of  Poe's  name,  paid  it  a  higher  compli 
ment.  He  "lifted"  the  book  bodily,  placed  it  in  a  new  cover, 
and,  with  a  rattling  good  preface  from  Poe,  launched  it  in 
an  effort  to  ballast  his  own  work — if  it  was  his  own. 
In  this  way  has  been  preserved  to  us  an  undoubtedly 
clever  work  in  its  own  particular  department  of  scientific 
research;  but,  except  for  the  misunderstood  kindness  of 
Lea  and  Wyatt,  Brown  would  hardly  have  been  treasured 
in  this  generation,  nor  would  I  have  had  to  pay  the  long 
price  I  was  compelled  to  pay  to  its  resurrector.  In  writing 
the  preface  Poe  did  not  require,  nor  did  he  seek,  any 
assistance.  In  the  use  of  Latin  and  Greek  phrases,  and 
their  use  in  derivation,  he  was  a  master.  Note  the  way  in 
which  he  begins  his  preface : 

The  term  'Malacology,'  an  abbreviation  of  'Malacoxoology  from 
the  Greek  MoAaxcx;  soft,  Zooov  an  animal,  and  A6yog  a  discourse, 
was  first  employed  by  the  French  naturalist,  de  Blainville,  etc.,  etc. 

I  can  find  nothing  in  Brown  that  will  square  with  this 
phraseology  and  evident  familiarity  with  the  dead  lan 
guages  which  still  furnish  all  our  scientific  terminology. 

About  ten  years  ago  Tregaskis  acquired  "The  Plan  of  a 
Dictionary,"  written  by  one  Sam.  Johnson;  and  possibly 


274      POE:  A  BIBLIOGRAPHIC  STUDY 

twice  a  year  since  then  he  has  kept  on  acquiring  them.  At 
least,  about  that  frequently,  he  publishes  in  his  most 
interesting  catalog  this  stereotyped  announcement:  'The 
best  written  prospectus  ever  published,  and  of  course  the 
least  successful."  I  am  willing  to  back  Poe's  preface 
against  anything  Johnson  ever  wrote  about  his  dictionary ; 
or,  for  that  matter,  anything  his  critics  ever  wrote  about 
it  or  him.  My  own  copy  of  this  prospectus  makes  dread 
fully  heavy  and  dull  reading.  In  spite  of  Mr.  Tregaskis' 
well  known  literary  attainments,  I  fear,  in  this  case,  he 
is  like  the  fox  that  lost  its  tail  and  attempted  to  set  up 
this  mutilation  as  the  fashion.  Or  it  may  be  he  never  read 
Poe's  preface. 

When  it  came  to  the  introduction,  which  contained  a 
scientific  discussion  of  the  subject  matter,  evidently  the 
writer  got  into  water  beyond  his  depth ;  at  least  he  felt  he 
could  not  improve  on  Brown's  facts,  even  though  it  was 
possible  to  rearrange  them  advantageously. 

POE  or  WYATT.  BROWN. 

The  term  "Conchology,"  in  its  Conchology  or  Testaceology,  is 
legitimate  usage,  is  applied  to  that  department  of  Natural  His- 
that  department  of  Natural  His-  tory  which  treats  of  animals  with 
tory,  which  has  reference  to  ani-  a  testaceous  covering  or  shell, 
mals  with  testaceous  coverings  or  ********* 
shells.  Conchology  has  been  some- 
It  is  not  unfrequently  com-  times  confounded  with  Crustace- 
pounded  [sic]  with  Crustaceology,  ology,  but  the  slightest  attention 
but  the  distinction  is  obvious  and  to  the  subject  will  at  once  dis- 
radical,  lying  not  more  in  the  cover  the  obvious  difference 
composition  of  the  animal's  habi-  which  exists  between  these  two 
tation  than  in  the  organization  of  classes. 

the  animal  itself.  This  latter,  in  ********* 

the  Crustacea,  is  of  a  fibrous  na-  On  the  other  hand  shells  of 

ture,  and  has  articulated  limbs;  crustaceous  animals,  are  cast  and 

the  shell  strictly  adapted  to  the  renewed  annually.   The  animals 

members,  covers  the  creature  like  are  of  a  fibrous  texture  (not  na- 

a  coat  of  mail,  in  produced  at  one  ture)  with  articulated  limbs,  are 

elaboration,    is   cast   or   thrown  covered,  as  it  were,  in  a  coat  of 

aside  periodically,  and,  again,  at  mail.    Besides  the  shells  of  crus- 

one  elaboration,   renewed;   it   is  taceous  animals  are  produced  all 


POE:  A  BIBLIOGRAPHIC  STUDY      275 

moreover  composed  of  the  animal  at  one ;  [once  ?]  those  of  the  tes- 
matter  with  phosphate  of  lime,  tacea  evidently  are  formed  by  the 
In  the  Testacea,  on  the  contrary,  animal  gradually  adding  to  them 
the  inhabitant  is  of  a  simple  and  either  annually  or  at  least  per- 
soft  texture  without  bones,  and  iodically.  .  .  .  Testaceous  shells 
is  attached  to  its  domicil  by  a  are,  in  general,  permanent  cover- 
certain  adhesive  muscular  force;  ings  for  the  inhabitants,  and  the 
this  domicil,  too,  is  a  permanent  animal  is  of  a  soft  and  simple  na- 
one,  and  is  increased,  from  time  ture,  without  bones  of  any  kind; 
to  time,  by  gradual  adhesions  on  and  attached  to  its  domicile  by  a 
the  part  of  the  tenant;  while  the  certain  adhesive  principal  pos- 
entire  shell,  which  is  distributed  sessed  by  some  of  the  muscles, 
in  layers,  or  strata,  is  a  combina-  .  .  .  Testaceous  shells  are 
tion  of  carbonate  of  lime,  with  a  composed  of  carbonate  of  lime, 
very  small  portion  of  gelatinous  combined  with  a  small  portion  of 
matter.  gelatinous  matter;  while  those 

of  the  Crustacea  are  composed 
of  phosphate  of  lime,  along  with 
the  animal  matter. 

This  paraphrasing  continues  for  several  pages.  While, 
possibly,  the  version  attributed  to  Poe  is  better  written, 
Brown  is  the  more  intelligible.  For  instance  I  could  not  tell 
just  what  was  meant  by  Poe's  statement : 

And  is  attached  to  its  domicil  by  a  certain  adhesive  muscular  force ; 
this  domicil  is  a  permanent  one,  and  is  increased  from  time  to  time,  by 
gradual  adhesions  on  the  part  of  the  tenant. 

until  I  read  in  Brown : 

Testaceous  shells  are,  in  general,  permanent  coverings  for  its  inhab 
itants  .  .  .  attached  to  its  domicil  by  a  certain  adhesive  principle, 
possessed  by  some  of  the  muscles. 

Another  thing  that  interferes  with  the  lucidity  of  my 
presentation  of  Brown's  Introduction,  and  makes  it  some 
what  disjointed  is  that,  in  choosing,  it  was  a  most  difficult 
task  to  select  those  statements  I  desired  as  parallels. 
Not  only  was  it  necessary  to  skip  long  passages  which 
greatly  would  have  aided  in  making  Brown's  descriptions 
clear,  but,  at  times,  several  pages  intervene.  On  the 
other  hand,  I  have  quoted  Poe  in  sequence  and  without 
omission  or  interruption.  I  suspect  Poe  was  the  better 
writer,  while  Brown  was  the  more  learned  conchologist. 


276      POE:  A  BIBLIOGRAPHIC  STUDY 

Again,  this  Brown  manual  was  dated  1833,  while  the  Poe 
edition  was  not  published  until  1839;  thus  Poe  or  Wyatt 
had  several  years  in  which,  possibly,  great  advances  were 
made  in  the  study  of  conchology.  Apparently,  nothing 
new  was  discovered.  If  so,  the  editors  were  so  considerate 
as  to  take  no  undue  advantage. 

The  first  four  plates  figuring  the  shells  are  evidently 
reproductions  printed  from  those  of  Brown  while  the  other 
eight  plates  contained  accurate  copies.  While  there  are 
only  twelve  plates  in  Poe's  Conchology  Brown's  work 
contains  nineteen.  A  careful  examination  shows  that  this 
excess  is  not  such  an  advantage  as  it  might  seem ;  for  the 
seven  extra  plates  in  Brown's  Conchology  were  reproduced 
in  that  attributed  to  Poe  by  placing  a  greater  number  of 
shells  on  each  plate. 

Evidently  in  the  Poe  edition  it  was  not  believed  that 
any  improvement  could  be  made  in  the  "Explanation  to 
the  Parts  of  the  Shell,"  so  it  was  reprinted  verbatim. 

However,  the  two  publications  do  differ  in  one  essential 
detail,  and  for  this  reason  are  readily  distinguishable.  The 
plates  in  the  Poe  edition  are,  as  a  rule,  colored,  while  those 
of  Brown  are  untinted.  The  covers  also  should  easily  dif 
ferentiate  them,  as  the  Poe  copy  is  in  decorated  boards; 
and  the  man  who  drew  the  bottom  of  the  ocean,  of  which 
a  representation  is  figured  on  the  cover,  gave  full  range  to 
his  imagination,  a  thing  from  which  possibly  Brown  re 
frained  ;  yet  as  my  Brown  copy  is  encased  in  half-leather 
binding,  I  cannot  be  certain  that  the  original  cover  was 
not  equally  ornate.  Had  the  designer  of  the  Poe  cover  ever 
visited  Catalina,  and  had  he  seen  the  bottom  of  the  ocean 
from  a  glass  bottomed  boat,  he  would  not  have  drawn  such 
a  picture.  Sometimes,  however,  I  have  noticed  that  lack  of 
knowledge  gives  freer  rein  to  the  imagination,  for  it  is 
untrammelled  by  facts. 


IK& 


POE:  A  BIBLIOGRAPHIC  STUDY      277 

TALES  OF  THE  GROTESQUE  AND  ARABESQUE.  By  Edgar  A. 
Poe.  Quotation  (3  lines)  in  Two  Volumes. 
Philadelphia:  Lea  and  Blanchard.  1840. 

Collation:  Vol.  1.  Title,  copyright  (dated  1839),  imprint,  Dedica 
tion,  Preface,  pp.  (l)-6,  contents  Vol.  I.  Text,  pp.  (9)-243. 

Collation:  Vol.  II.  Advertisement,  pp.  (I)-IV.  Title,  Copyright 
(dated  1839),  Imprint,  Contents,  Vol.  II.  pp.  (5)-222.  Appendix 
pp.  223-228. 

The  only  new  stories  this  publication  contained  were 
Von  Jung  and  Why  the  Little  Frenchman  Wears  his  Hand 
in  a  Sling.  The  sixteen  originally  offered  Carey  &  Lea 
were  included  and  the  other  seven  had  appeared  either  in 
the  Annuals  or  in  the  various  periodicals  with  which  Poe 
was  connected  and  which  have  already  been  named.  If 
Poe  had  written  others  they  had  not  been  published ;  yet 
in  his  preface  he  stated  that  these  were  only  a  selection  of 
those  he  had  intended  for  this  publication,  and  inti 
mated  that  there  were  others  he  had  either  formulated  or 
had  not  used  because  they  were  not  suitable  for  inclusion 
under  the  title  he  had  chosen. 

The  epithets  'Grotesque'  and  'Arabesque'  will  be  found  to  indi 
cate  with  sufficient  precision  the  prevalent  tenor  of  the  tales  here  pub 
lished.  But  from  the  fact  that  during  a  period  of  some  two  or  three 
years  I  have  written  five  and  twenty  short  stories  whose  general 
character  may  be  so  briefly  defined,  it  cannot  be  fairly  inferred — at  all 
events  it  is  not  truly  inferred — that  I  have  for  this  species  of  writing, 
any  inordinate,  or  indeed  any  peculiar  taste  or  prepossession.  I  may 
have  written  with  an  eye  to  this  republication  in  volume  form,  and 
may,  therefore,  have  desired  to  preserve,  as  far  as  a  certain  point,  a 
certain  unity  of  design.  This  is,  indeed,  the  fact;  and  it  may  even 
happen  in  this  manner,  I  shall  never  compose  anything  again.  .  .  . 
But  the  truth  is  that,  with  a  single  exception,  there  is,  in  no  one  of 
these  stories  in  which  the  scholar  should  recognize  the  distinctive 
features  of  that  species  of  pseudo-horror  which  we  are  taught  to  call 
Germanic,  for  no  better  reason  that  that  some  of  the  secondary  names 
of  German  literature  have  become  identified  with  its  folly.  If,  in  many 
of  my  productions,  terror  has  been  the  thesis,  I  maintain  that  terror  is 
not  of  Germany,  but  of  the  soul. 

Judging  from  this  statement  of  Poe's,  many  of  his  other 


TALES 


O?  THE 


GROTESQUE  AND  ARABESQUE. 


BY    EDGAR    A.    POE 


Seltsamen  tocbter  Jovit 
Scinero  schosskinde 
Der  PAanttuu 

Gorraf. 


IN  TWO  VOLUMES. 
VOL.  I. 


PHILADELPHIA : 

LEA    AND    BLANCHARD. 
1840. 


POE:  A  BIBLIOGRAPHIC  STUDY      279 

stories  were  unpublished,  possibly  unwritten ;  yet  he  fully 
believed  in  his  capacity  for  a  different  kind  of  work,  and  it 
is  probable  that  much  of  his  later  production  already  had 
been  planned. 

The  public  did  not  care  for  these  stories,  and  no  second 
edition  was  called  for,  although  the  first  edition  consisted 
of  only  750  copies.  A  year  later  Poe  offered  Lea  &  Blanch- 
ard  eight  additional  stories  to  be  issued  in  a  second  edition 
with  those  already  published,  but  this  offer  was  not 
accepted. 

In  1843  Zieber  &  Co.  published  two  of  his  tales  Murders 
in  the  Rue  Morgue  and  The  Man  That  Was  Used  Up.  This 
little  publication  is  now  the  rarest  of  Poe  items,  for  only 
three  copies  have  been  found.  The  one  in  the  Huntington 
collection  is  valued  at  $4000. 

THE  AMERICAN  MUSEUM  OF  SCIENCE,  LITERATURE,  AND 
THE  ARTS.  A  monthly  Magazine.  Baltimore :  Brooks  and 
Snodgrass,  Editors  and  Proprietors.  John  Murphy, 
Printer,  Light  Street. 

Vol.  I.  September,  1838,  to  December,  1838. 

Vol.  II.  January,  1839,  to  June,  1839. 

Both  Brooks  and  Snodgrass  apparently  were  well  known 
literary  men,  and  while  Poe  was  in  Baltimore  he  was  on 
terms  of  intimacy  with  them.  Their  attempt  at  establish 
ing  a  literary  journal  should  have  been  a  successful  un 
dertaking,  both  being  well  equipped  for  the  editorial  duties 
of  a  journal  of  that  period.  They  did  provide  a  most 
liberal  quantity,  the  first  four  numbers,  constituting  Vol. 
I,  extending  over  500  pages:  the  second,  consisting  of 
six  numbers,  was  not  so  large,  for  it  was  entering  into  a 
slow  decline.  The  last  number  was  dated  June  14,  1839. 

The  fate  of  the  "American  Museum"  is  only  a  further 
evidence  that  quantity  cannot  make  up  for  quality.  It 
may  be  said  in  its  favor  that  it  adopted  none  of  the 


TIIK 


AMERICAN  MUSEUM 


OF 


SCIENCE,  LITERATURE, 


AND 


THE    ARTS. 


A    MONTHLY    MAGAZINE. 


VOL.  I. 


BALTIMORE: 
BROOKS    &    SNODGRASS, 

EDITORS  AND  PROPRIETORS. 

1838. 


MURPHY,   PWXTKB,   LWDT  STREET. 


POE:  A  BIBLIOGRAPHIC  STUDY      281 

chromos,  or  "illuminations, "or  fashion  plates,  which  later 
made  Godey's  and  Graham's  so  appetizing  to  the  tastes  of 
their  time. 

It  was  during  the  "lean  years"  of  1838-9,  after  Poe  had 
ceased  his  connection  with  the  "Southern  Literary  Mes 
senger",  and  before  he  became  associated  with  Burton, 
that  he  contributed  the  embalming  fluid  which  has  pre 
served  this  short  lived  periodical  to  us.  In  the  initial 
number  Ligeia  first  appeared.  Surely  Poe  admirably  se 
lected  the  setting,  for  the  lady  was  as  lonesome  and  out 
of  place  there  as  Poe  depicted  her  in  the  story. 

In  the  November  number  there  was  published  The 
Psyche  Zenobia,  a  title  which  Harrison  (and,  following 
him,  and  adopting  from  him  this  bibliographical  error, 
Woodberry),  assigns  to  the  December  number,  under  the 
title  How  to  Write  a  Blackwood  Article.  Under  a  separate 
title  is  enumerated  A  Predicament  (The  Scythe  of  Time) 
again  incorrectly  assigned  to  the  December  number.  It  is 
essentially  a  part  of  Psyche  Zenobia  and  it  was  so  published ; 
neither  in  matter  nor  manner  should  it  be  thus  divided. 
That,  later,  it  was  separated  and  selected  as  properly  be 
longing  to  "The  Tales  of  The  Grotesque  and  Arabesque," 
was  an  error  of  judgment.  The  story,  published  alone,  is 
absurd ;  unless  one  is  led  up  to  it  by  The  Psyche  Zenobia  or 
"Susy  Snooks,  as  she  preferred  to  be  called,  its  absurdity 
is  heightened.  In  attempting  to  accommodate  himself  to 
what  he  believed  to  be  the  style  of  a  Blackwood  writer,  Poe 
undertook  something  of  which  he  was  not  capable.  While 
he  may  have  possessed  a  sense  of  humor,  it  is  certain  that 
he  failed  whenever  he  attempted  to  give  expression  to  it. 
This  story  was  not  worthy  of  Poe.  Taken  with  Zenobia  it 
can  be  tolerated,  but,  without  it,  there  is  a  resemblance  to 
certain  of  the  vermes ;  when  cut  in  half,  both  ends  may,  in 
a  mutilated  way,  live  and  grow;  but  they  never  regain 
their  perfect  form.  It  was  written  as  a  travesty  on  the 


282      POE:  A  BIBLIOGRAPHIC  STUDY 

class  of  literature  appearing  in  Blackwoods;  the  story 
itself  was  written  to  illustrate  the  absurdity  of  some  of 
these  Blackwood  stories.  Why  Poe  took  The  Psyche  Zenobia 
out  of  its  context  and  published  it  separately,  I  cannot 
understand ;  possibly  he  thought  it  grotesque. 

In  naming  the  birthplace  of  the  gem  of  all  Poe's  poems, 
The  Haunted  Palace,  Harrison's  mistake  has  caused  me 
some  inconvenience  as  well  as  personal  embarrassment.  He 
bibliographs  it  as  having  been  published  in  the  "Baltimore 
Museum"  of  April,  1839.  Since  finding  it  in  the  "American 
Museum"  of  that  date,  I  have  doubted  that  such  a  periodi 
cal  as  the  "Baltimore  Museum"  ever  existed,  and  have 
accordingly  withdrawn  it  from  my  periodically  published 
"wants."  While  with  Harrison  apparently  it  was  careless 
ness  rather  than  ignorance,  others  have  adopted  and  per 
petuated  this  mistake. 

This  second  volume  contained  in  its  January  and  Feb 
ruary  numbers  Literary  Small  Talk  by  Edgar  A.  Poe. 
While  Poe  never  revived  this  title  it  was  evidently  the 
progenitor  of  his  Literati  and  Marginalia. 

These  articles  contributed  to  the  Museum  during  the 
years  1838-9,  measure  the  amount  of  his  published  work 
during  this  period ;  evidently  it  did  not  constitute  the  whole 
of  it,  for  much  that  later  appeared  must  have  been  in  the 
process  of  gestation.  Yet  how  Poe  lived  on  the  meagre 
returns  from  these  articles  in  this  obscure  journal  proba 
bly  only  his  devoted  "Muddy"  knew. 

THE  GENTLEMAN'S  MAGAZINE,  AND  MONTHLY  AMERICAN 
REVIEW.  Edited  by  William  E.  Burton.  Philadelphia: 
William  E.  Burton.  Opposite  the  Exchange,  Dock  St. 
1839. 

Volume  IV  and  V  January  to  December,  1839 
Volume  VI  and  VII  January  to  December,  1840 


THE  HAUNTED  PALACE. 

B7  K.  A.  POE,  ESi}. 

IN  the  greenest  of  our  valleys 

By  good  angels  tenanted, 
Once  a  fair  and  stately  palace— 

Snow-white  palace — reared  its  head 
In  the  monarch  thought's  dominion- 
It  stood  there! 
Never  Seraph  spread  his  pinion 

Over  fabric  half  so  fair* 

Banners  yellow,  glorious,  golden, 

On  its  roof  did  Boat  and  flow-»* 

This — all  this — was  in  the  olden 

-Time  long  ago— 
And  every  gentle  air  that  dallied, 

In  that  sweet  day, 

Along  the  rampart  plumed  and  pallid, 
A  winged  odour  went  away. 

All  wanderers  in  that  happy  valley, 
Through  two  luminous  windows  saw 

Spirits  moving  musically 
To  a  lute's  well  tuned  law, 

Round  about  a  throne  where  sitting 
(Porphyrogene!) 

In  state  his  glory  well  befitting, 
The  sovereign  of  the  realm  was  seen. 

And  all  with  pearl  and  ruby  glowing 

Was  the  fair  palace  door; 
Through  which  came  flowing,  flowing,  flowing. 

And  sparkling  evermore, 
A  troop  of  echoes,  whose  sweet  duty 

Was  but  to  sin£ 
In  voices  of  surpassing  beauty, 

The  wit  and  wisdom  of  their  king. 

But  evH  things  in  robes  of  sorrow, 
Assailed  the  monarch's  high  estate! 

Ah,  let  us  mourn — for  never  morrow 
Shall  dawn  upon  him  desolate! 

And  round  about  his  home  the  glory, 
That  blushed  and  bloomed, 

Is  hut  a  dim-remembered  story 
Of  the  old  time  entombed. 

And  travellers  now  within  that  valley, 
Through  the  red-litlen  windows,  see 

Vast  forms  that  move  fantastically 
To  a  discordarit  melody; 

While,  like  a  rapid  ghastly  river, 
Through  the  pale  door, 

A  hideous  throng  rush  out  forever, 
And  laugh— but  smile  no  more. 


284      POE:  A  BIBLIOGRAPHIC  STUDY 

In  May,  1839,  Poe  contributed  his  initial  review  to 
Burton's  "Gentleman's  Magazine." 

Burton  was  a  well  known  actor ;  a  comedian  with  literary 
aspirations,  but  with  so  little  capacity  that  he  did  not  de 
serve,  and  consequently  did  not  receive  at  Poe's  hands,  the 
slightest  literary  recognition.  In  July  Poe  became  asso 
ciated  with  him  as  assistant  editor  of  the  "Gentleman's." 
Although  there  was  friction,  this  association  continued  for 
twelve  months.  During  this  time,  Poe  contributed  many 
reviews,  as  well  as  some  of  his  best  stories,  and  repub- 
lished  a  few  poems.  I  again  summarize : 

July:  Spirits  of  the  Dead,  unchanged  from  the  1829  ver 
sion,  was  Poe's  first  contribution.  He  also  abstracted  the 
poem,  originally  published  as  a  part  of  The  Visionary,  and 
republished  it  under  the  title  To  lanthe  in  Heaven.  It  is 
now  known  under  the  title  To  One  in  Paradise.  While  it 
was  republished  with  but  a  single  emendation,  the  final 
verse  was  omitted : 

Alas !  for  that  accursed  time 

They  bore  thee  o'er  the  billow 
From  Love  to  titled  age  and  crime 

And  an  unholy  pillow— 
From  me,  and  from  our  misty  clime, 

Where  weeps  the  siver  willow! 

The  name  "lanthe"  is  of  uncertain  derivation.  It  was  used 
by  Longfellow  in  1832  as  the  title  of  a  poem  later  sup 
pressed.  During  Poe's  editorship  two  poems  with  this  title 
were  published  in  "The  Messenger." 

August:  The  Man  that  was  Used  Up.  Poe  amplified  the 
title,  A  Tale  of  the  late  Bugaboo  and  Kickapoo  Campaign.  Of 
the  fourteen  reviews  six  are  attributed  to  Poe.  Fairyland 
and  To  The  River  were  republished  without  emendation. 

September:  The  Fall  of  the  House  of  Usher.  In  this  tale 
Poe  inserted  The  Haunted  Palace,  formerly  published  in 
the  "American  Museum."  While  there  are  many  reviews 
of  books,  there  are  no  criticisms  worth  recording. 


POE:  A  BIBLIOGRAPHIC  STUDY      285 

There  is  one  poem,  entitled  Silence,  undoubtedly  the 
prototype,  and  probably  the  original  version,  of  that  poem 
now  included  in  Poe's  collected  works  under  the  name 
Sonnet — Silence.  Poe,  who  at  that  time  was  the  editor  of 
4 The  Gentleman's,"  placed  it  on  a  page  opposite  The  Fall 
of  the  House  of  Usher,  and  signed  it  P.,  suggesting,  if  not 
fully  acknowledging  its  authorship. 

SILENCE.  SILENCE.    A  SONNET. 

(Burton,  September,  1839.)  (Graham's,  April,  1840.) 

There  is  a  silence  where  hath  been  no  There  are  some  qualities — some  incor- 

sound,  porate  things 

There  is  a  silence  where  no  sound  That  have  a  double  life — a  life  aptly 

may  be,  made, 

In  the  cold  grave — under  the  deep,  The  type  of  that  twin  entity  which 

deep  sea,  springs 

Or  in  wide  desert  where  no  life  is  found,  From  matter  and  light,  evinced  in  solid 
Which  hath  been  mute,  and  still  must  and  shade. 

sleep  profound ;  There  is  a  two-fold  Silence — sea  and 
No  voice  is  hush'd — no  life  treads  shore — 

silently,  Body  and  soul.     One  dwells  in  lonely 
But    clouds    and    cloudy    shadows  places, 

wander  free,  Newly   with  grass  o'ergrown.     Some 
That  never  spoke — over  the  idle  ground ;  solemn  graces 

But  in  green  ruins,  in  the  desolate  walls  Some  human  memories  and  tearful  lore, 

Of  antique  palaces,  where  man  hath  Render  him  terrorless — his  name's  "No 

been  More" 

Though  the  dun  fox,  or  wild  hyena,  He  is  corporate  Silence — dread  him  not ! 

calls,  No  power  of  evil  hath  he  in  himself; 

And  owls,  that  flit  continually  be-  But  should  some  urgent  fate — untimely 

tween,  lot ! 

Shriek  to  the  echo,  and  the  low  winds  Bring  thee  to  meet  his  shadow  (nameless 

moan,  elf, 

There  the  true  Silence  is,  self-conscious  Who  haunteth  the  dim  regions  where 
and  alone.  hath  trod 

No  foot  of  man) — commend  thyself  to 
P-  God! 

Why  Poe  chose  the  second  version,  and  why  the  first 
has  been  omitted  from  his  poetical  collection,  I  do  not 
know.  In  my  opinion,  the  first  is  the  more  poetical,  natural, 
and  a  less  labored  version. 

This  number  contained  eighteen  reviews,  and  apologies 
for  the  omission  of  certain  others  because  of  lack  of  space. 
Of  the  four  mentioned  as  omitted,  and  which  were  to 
appear  later,  only  one  was  published,  "Hyperion." 

Certain  of  these  reviews  were  characterized  by  some 
of  Poe's  old  time  acerbity,  and  it  was  on  this  occasion, 


286      POE:  A  BIBLIOGRAPHIC  STUDY 

possibly,  that  Poe  and  Burton  so  seriously  differed  as  to 
the  character  of  the  criticisms  that  were  admissible. 

October:  William  Wilson  was  for  the  first  time  pub 
lished.  Poe,  in  printing  it,  announced  that  it  was  from' The 
Gift"  of  1840,  in  which  connection  I  have  already  referred 
to  it.  Of  the  four  unusually  short  criticisms,  one  was  Poe's 
review  of  "Hyperion." 

Were  it  possible  to  throw  into  a  bag  the  lofty  thought  and  manner 
of  the  "Pilgrims  of  the  Rhine,"  together  with  the  quirks  and  quibbles 
and  true  humor  of  "Tristram  Shandy,"  not  forgetting  a  few  of  the 
heartier  drolleries  of  Rabelais,  and  one  or  two  Phantasy  pieces  of  the 
Lorrainean  Callot,  the  whole  when  well  shaken  up  and  thrown  out, 
would  make  a  very  tolerable  imitation  of  "Hyperion."  This  may 
appear  to  be  commendation  but  we  do  not  intend  it  as  such.  Works 
like  this  of  Professor  Longfellow,  are  the  triumphs  of  Tom  O'Bedlam, 
and  the  grief  of  all  true  criticism. 

In  making  this  estimate,  Poe  was  well  within  his  rights 
as  a  critic.  Whenever  Longfellow  left  his  strait  but  chosen 
way,  and  ventured  on  the  highroad  travelled  by  the 
many,  he  found  the  going  difficult  and  unprofitable,  and 
he  transformed  his  admirers  into  apologists. 

December:  The  Conversation  of  Eiros  and  Charmion. 
Poe,  in  this  conception  of  a  future  life,  disclosed  a  mental 
attitude  that  serves  to  illustrate  certain  of  his  moral 
qualities.  By  early  training,  as  well  as  by  a  natural  bent  of 
his  mind,  he  was  strongly  impressed  with  the  actuality  of 
a  future  state.  Always  he  treated  religious  and  moral 
problems  with  reverence,  and  while  he  did  not  accept  dog 
mas,  and  professed  no  definite  belief,  he  was  never  irrever 
ent  and  was  always  respectful  in  his  attitude  toward 
religious  matters. 

Yet  Poe  was  filled  with  a  pantheistic  hope  that  later 
became  a  morbid  obsession,  to  which  in  his  treatise  on 
the  origin  of  the  Universe  he  gave  free  rein.  That  the  prob 
lem  of  the  stars  had  long  dominated  Poe's  mind  is  evident 
from  his  early  poem,  Al  Aaraaf,  in  which  he  gave  free 
expression  to  the  fancy  that  finally  crystalized  in  Eureka 


BURTON'S   GENTLEMAN'S   MAGAZINE. 
THE    CONVERSATION    OF    EIROS    AND    CHARMION. 


B  T    K  D  G  A  H     A.      P  0  E  . 


E i UGH.  Why  do  you  call  me  Eiros  t 

CH A K M IDS.  So  henceforward  will  you  always  be  called.  Yon  must  forget,  too,  my  earthly  name, 
and  speak  to  me  as  Charmion. 

EIROS.  This  is  indeed  no  dream ! 

CHARXIOH.  Dreams  are  with  us  no  more— hut  of  these  mysteries  anon.  I  rejoice  to  see  you 
looking  life-like  and  rational.  The  film  of  the  shadow  has  already  passed  from  offyoui  eyes.  Be 
of  heart,  and  fear  nothing.  Your  allotted  days  of  stupor  have  expired  ;  and,  to-morrow,  I  will  my 
self  induct  you  into  the  full  joys  and  wonders  of  your  novel  existence. 

Eines.  True — I  feel  no  stupor — none  at  all.  The  wild  sickness  and  the  terrible  darkness  have 
left  me,  and  I  hear  no  longer  that  mad,  rushing,  horrible  sound,  like  the  "  voice  of  many  waters." 
Yet  my  senses  are  bewildered,  Charmion,  with  the  keenness  of  their  perception  of  the  new. 

On  A  n  MI  ON.  A  few  days  will  remove  all  this — but  I  fully  understand  you,  and  feel  for  you.  It 
is  now  ten  earthly  years  since  I  underwent  what  you  undergo— yet  the  remembrance  of  It  hangs  by 
me  still.  You  have  now  suffered  all  of  pain,  however,  which  you  will  suffer  in  Aidenn. 

EIROS.  In  Aidenn  1 

CHARMION.  In  Aidenn. 

EIROS.  Oh  God  ! — pity  me,  Charmion ! — I  am  oyeiburthcned  with  the  majesty  of  all  things— 
of  the  unknown  now  known — of  the  speculative  Future  merged  in  the  august  and  certain  Present 

CK  IBM  ION.  Grapple  not  now  with  such  thoughts.  To-morrow  we  will  speak  of  this.  Your 
mind  wavers,  and  its  agitation  will  find  relief  hi  the  exercise  of  simple  memories.  Look  not  around, 
nor  forward — but  back.  I  am  burning  with  anxiety  to  hear  the  details  of  that  stupendous  event 
which  threw  you  among  us.  Tell  me  of  it.  Let  us  converse  of  familiar  things,  in  the  old  familiar 
language  of  the  world  which  has  so  fearfully  perished. 

EIROS.  Most  fearfully,  fearfully ! — this  is  indeed  no  dream. 

CHARMION.  Dreams  are  no  more.    Was  I  much  mourned,  my  Eiros  t 

EiROd.  Mourned,  Charmion? — oh  deeply.  To  that  last  hour  of  all  there  hung  a  cloud  of  intense 
gloom  and  devout  sorrow  over  your  household. 

CHARMION.  And  that  last  hour — speak  of  it.  Remember  that,  beyond  the  naked  fact  of  the 
catastrophe  itself,  I  know  nothing.  When,  coming  out  from  among  mankind,  I  passed  into  Night 
through  the  Grave — at  that  period,  if  I  remember  aright,  the  calamity  which  overwhelmed  you  was 
utterly  unanticipated.  But,  indeed,  I  knew  little  of  the  speculative  philosophy  of  the  day. 

EIROS.  The  individual  calamity  was,  as  you  say, -entirely  unanticipated;  but  analogous  mis 
fortunes  had  been  long  a  subject  of  discussion  with  astronomers.  I  need  scarce  tell  you,  my  friend, 
that,  even  when  you  left  us,  men  had  agreed  to  understand  those  passages  in  the  most  holy  writings 
which  speak  of  the  final  destruction  of  all  things  by  fire,  as  having  reference  to  the  orb  of  the  earth 
alone.  But  in  regard  to  the  immediate  agency  of  the  ruin,  speculation  had  been  at  fault  from  that 
epoch  in  astronomical  knowledge  in  which  the  comets  were  divested  of  the  terrors  of  flame.  The 
very  moderate  density  of  these  bodies  had  been  well  established.  They  had  been  observed  to  paw 
among  the  satellites  of  Jupiter,  without  bringing  about  any  sensible  alteration  either  in  the  masses 
or  in  the  whits  of  these  secondary  planets.  We  had  long  regarded  the  wanderers  as  vapory  creations 
of  inconceivable  tenuity,  and  as  altogether  incapable  of  doing  injury  to  our  substantial  globe,  even  in 
the  event  of  contact.  But  contact  was  not  in  any  degree  dreaded  ;  for  the  elements  of  all  the  comets 
were  accurately  known.  That  among  them  we  should  look  for  the  agency  of  the  threatened  fiery 
destruction  had  been  for  many  years  considered  an  inadmissible  idea.  But  wonders  and  wild  fancies 
had  been,  of  late  days,  strangely  rife  among  mankind ;  and,  although  it  was  only  with  a  few  of  the 
ignorant  that  actual  apprehension  prevailed  upon  the  announcement  by  astronomers  of  a  new  comet, 
yet  this  announcement  was  generally  received  with  I  know  not  what  of  agitation  and  mistrust 

The  elements  of  the  strange  otb  were  immediately  calculated,  and  it  was  at  once  conceded  by  all 
observers  that  its  path,  at  perihelion,  would  bring  it  into  veiy  close  proximity  with  the  earth.  There 
were  two  or  three  astronomers,  and  these  of  secondary  note,  who  resolutely  maintained  that  a  contact 
was  inevitable.  I  cannot  veiy  well  express  to  you  the  effect  of  this  intelligence  upon  the  people. 
For  a  few  short  days  they  would  not  believe  an  assertion  which  their  intellect,  so  long  employed 


288      POE:  A  BIBLIOGRAPHIC  STUDY 

as  a  demonstrated  hypothesis.  In  this  Conversation,  he 
recounts  the  catastrophe  that  ended  in  world  destruction, 
and  raises  his  subject  to  a  plane  of  heavenly  contempla 
tion  characteristic  of  the  noble  qualities  of  soul  with  which 
nature  had  endowed  him.  Incidentally,  in  this,  he  drew 
the  picture  which,  to  him,  represented  the  Aidenn  of  future 
happiness.  Possibly  each  of  us  has  the  right  to  construct 
in  imagination  our  own  future  abode,  and  to  describe  it  in 
whatever  light  may  best  please  our  individual  wishes :  no 
man  may  approach  this  great  problem  which  faces  all  of  us 
without  reverently  uncovering,  and  voicing  a  hope,  if  not 
a  belief,  as  to  what  the  future  will  bring.  At  least  each 
man's  soul  contains  its  own  heaven ;  no  two  of  us  want  the 
same  future  state,  any  more  than,  in  life,  our  ambitions 
drive  us  for  the  same  goal.  Poe  summarized  in  this  story 
his  confession  of  hope,  although  in  no  sense  can  it  be  said 
to  have  been  a  definite  faith  or  belief. 

The  reviews  both  in  the  November  and  December 
numbers  are  without  interest.  Possibly  these  deficiencies 
marked  the  periodical  seizures  that  at  times  obsessed  Poe. 

January,  1840:  Poe's  story  of  Western  adventure, 
which  he  called  The  Journal  of  Julius  Rodman,  appeared 
in  this  issue.  It  continued  until  July,  when  the  narrative 
ended  somewhat  abruptly  because,  at  this  time,  Poe 
ceased  his  connection  as  editor  with  Burton.  Unlike  Pym, 
it  contains  nothing  that  shows  any  effort  on  the  part  of 
Poe  either  for  imaginative  effect,  or  of  originality.  It  is  a 
diary  of  ordinary  happenings  that  befell  a  trapper  who 
made  his  way  to  the  headwaters  of  the  Yellowstone.  It 
contains  nothing  except  a  summary  of  what  might  have 
befallen  the  most  unimaginative  of  explorers,  and  it  must 
have  been  the  result  of  editorial  drudgery.  In  it,  Poe 
closely  follows  Astoria,  Lewis  and  Clarke's,  Pike's,  and 
the  many  other  accounts  of  Western  exploration.  Probably 
it  was  modelled  on  the  "Narrative  of  a  Journey  Across  the 


POE:  A  BIBLIOGRAPHIC  STUDY      289 

Rocky  Mountains,"  by  a  naturalist  named  John  K.  Town- 
send,  which  was  published  in  1839.  Certainly  the  Journal 
of  Julius  Rodman  does  not  equal  this  Narrative  in  inter 
est,  and  one  cannot  but  regret  that  this  composite  compi 
lation  emanated  from  a  man  so  capable  of  original  descrip 
tion  as  was  Poe. 

The  reviews,  four  in  number,  are  somewhat  elaborate. 
"Alciphron,"  a  poem  by  Thomas  Moore,  was  analyzed 
and  unfavorably  compared  with  "Queen  Mab"  in  a 
manner  that  again  exhibits  Poe's  capacity  as  a  critic. 
While  Poe  did  not  major  on  these  exhibitions  of  critical 
acumen,  as  he  did  in  the  "Messenger,"  the  few  serious 
attempts  at  this  style  of  composition  show  him  at  his  best. 

February:  Peter  Pendulum — another  unfortunate  at 
tempt  at  the  humorous — is  one  of  Poe's  least  worthy 
stories.  This  number  also  contained  one  of  his  well  known 
reviews.  The  "Voices  of  the  Night,"  by  Longfellow,  met 
Poe's  most  exacting  standard  of  poetical  perfection,  and 
he  gives  it  the  praise  and  pays  it  the  tribute  that  it  so 
fully  deserves.  Coming  from  Poe  such  a  criticism  does  not 
so  much  reflect  credit  on  Longfellow,  or  add  to  his  reputa 
tion  as  a  poet,  as  it  does  on  the  capacity  of  Poe  as  a  critic 
and  on  the  honesty  of  his  judgment. 

It  is  by  no  means  our  design  to  speak  of  the  volume  before  us  in 
detail.  The  spirit  of  Professor  Longfellow  is  as  well  determined  from 
the  shortest  of  these  'Voices  of  the  Night,'  (which  are  altogether  his 
best  pieces)  as  from  all  that  he  has  written  combined.  We  look  upon 
the  'Beleaguered  City'  as  his  finest  poem.  There  is  a  certainty  of 
purpose  about  it  which  we  do  not  discover  elsewhere;  and  in  it,  the 
writer's  idiosyncratic  excellences,  which  are  those  of  expression, 
chiefly,  and  of  a  fitful  (unsteady)  imagination,  are  the  most  strikingly 
displayed.  The  'Hymn  to  the  Night,'  however,  will  be  the  greatest 
favorite  with  the  public,  from  the  fact  that  these  idiosyncratic  beauties 
are  there  more  evident  and  more  glowing. 

I  heard  the  trailing  garments  of  the  Night 

Sweep  through  her  marble  halls! 
I  saw  her  sable  skirts  all  fringed  with  light 

From  the  celestial  walls! 


290      POE:  A  BIBLIOGRAPHIC  STUDY 

I  felt  her  presence,  by  its  spell  of  might, 

Stoop  o'er  me  from  above; 
The  calm,  majestic  presence  of  the  Night, 

As  of  the  one  I  love. 
I  heard  the  sounds  of  sorrow  and  delight, 

The  manifold  soft  chimes 
That  filled  the  haunted  chamber  of  the  Night 

Like  some  old  poet's  rhymes. 
From  the  cool  cisterns  of  the  midnight  air 

My  spirit  drank  repose ; 
The  fountain  of  perpetual  peace  flows  there — 

From  those  deep  cisterns  flows. 
O  holy  Night!  from  thee  I  learn  to  bear 

What  man  has  borne  before! 
Thou  layest  thy  finger  on  the  lips  of  care, 

And  they  complain  no  more. 

No  poem  ever  opened  with  a  beauty  more  august.  The  five  first 
stanzas  are  nearly  perfect — by  which  we  mean  that  they  are  nearly 
free  from  fault,  while  embodying  a  supreme  excellence.  Had  we  seen 
nothing  from  the  pen  of  the  poet  but  these  five  verses,  we  should  have 
formed  the  most  exaggerated  conception  of  his  powers.  Had  he 
written  always  thus,  we  should  have  been  tempted  to  speak  of  him 
not  only  as  our  finest  poet,  but  as  one  of  the  noblest  poets  of  all  time. 

This  should  be  remembered  rather  than  the  "Long 
fellow  War"  that  exhibited  Poe's  abnormal  irritability. 
Even  then,  it  was  not  lack  of  appreciation  of  Longfellow  as 
a  poet;  simply  an  unnecessarily  harsh  method  in  his  at 
tempt  to  point  out  a  certain  tendency  which  Poe  believed 
to  be  an  unfortunate  appropriation  of  the  thoughts  of 
others,  but  it  is  a  tendency  which  all  who  take  pleasure  in 
the  poems  of  Longfellow  do  not  necessarily  disapprove. 

Although  so  unreservedly  praising  Longfellow,  even  at 
this  time  Poe  did  not  fail  to  point  out  certain  limitations. 
He  denied  Longfellow  the  universal  capacity  which  he 
so  fully  awarded  Tennyson  long  before  the  world  recog 
nized  him  as  one  of  our  greatest  poets.  That  Longfellow 
had  limitations  all  critics  agree.  In  the  end  Poe's  esti 
mate  must  be  accepted;  yet  the  harshness  of  his  later 
criticisms  is  regrettable  and  has  greatly  injured  him  in 
the  estimation  of  all  lovers  of  Longfellow,  and  in  the  esti 
mation  of  all  fair-minded  men.  Much  also  could  be  alleged 


POE:  A  BIBLIOGRAPHIC  STUDY      291 

against  the  narrow  limits  both  of  Poe's  poetry  and  of  his 
tales,  even  though  in  the  peculiar  qualities  that  character 
ize  them,  they  are  supreme.  His  attacks  are  not  yet  for 
gotten — nor  forgiven. 

Probably  it  will  be  many  years  before  a  tablet  marks 
the  spot  where  Poe  was  born — could  it  now  be  located  or 
imagined — and  another  generation  will  have  passed  before 
a  statue  to  Poe  adorns  Boston  Common.  Poe,  however, 
would  not  have  aspired  to  such  an  honor. 

It  would  be  well  for  Poe  compilers  to  take  note  of  a 
statement  made  in  this  critical  review:  "Neither  should 
any  author,  of  mature  age,  desire  to  have  this  poetical 
character  estimated  by  the  productions  of  his  mind  at 
immaturity." 

May:  The  leading  article  for  this  month  was  a  formal 
discussion  of  Bryant,  written  to  accompany  a  very  excel 
lent  engraving  of  him.  It  is  neither  so  long  nor  so  elaborate 
as  the  "Messenger"  review,  though  in  it  Poe  reasserts  the 
opinions  and  estimate  formerly  made.  The  Philosophy  of 
Furniture  was  a  criticism  by  Poe  on  the  prevailing  taste  of 
"glitter"  and  "glare"  which  he  attributes  to  our  republican 
institutions  and  to  the  fact  that  "here,  a  man  of  large 
purse  has  a  very  little  soul  which  he  keeps  in  it." 

July :  The  last  chapter  of  the  Journal  of  Julius  Rodman 
appeared  in  this  number,  but  the  narrative  was  never  com 
pleted.  It  also  closed  Poe's  connection  with  Burton. 

Poe's  work  in  this  magazine  again  represented  all  that 
he  had  written  up  to  this  time ;  while  small  in  quantity,  its 
quality  is  so  good  as  to  entitle  the  "Gentleman's"  to  a 
position  of  honor  in  all  Poe  collections.  With  the  "South 
ern  Literary  Messenger,"  of  which,  as  far  as  Poe  is  con 
cerned,  it  is  the  successor,  it  represents  all  the  surviving 
work  of  Poe  with  a  few  exceptions.  The  one  "stain"  on  it 
is  the  continual  introduction  of  stories  by  Burton ;  these 
brand  the  man  the  literary  quack  Poe  asserted  him  to  be. 


292      POE:  A  BIBLIOGRAPHIC  STUDY 

Nothing  else  of  interest  in  'Graham's,"  as  it  relates  to 
Poe,  requires  mention  except  The  Man  in  the  Crowd  .strongly 
reminiscent  of  Hawthorne,  although  I  believe  that  this 
field  was  Poe's  by  right  of  priority  of  occupation. 

After  Poe's  connection  with  the  "Gentleman's"  had  ter 
minated,  for  some  months  he  made  no  serious  attempt  to 
find  a  position.  Poe  had  long  been  ambitious  to  found  a 
magazine  and,  for  many  months  preceding  his  separa 
tion  from  Burton,  this  idea  seems  to  have  so  obsessed  him 
that  this  was  alleged  to  have  been  the  dominating  cause. 

Temperamental  incompatibility  also  must  have  been  a 
powerful  factor  of  that  separation.  Poe  demanded  inde 
pendence  of  action  and  the  right  freely  to  express  his 
opinions — a  liberty  he  necessarily  took,  no  matter  whom 
he  hurt.  Griswold  alleges  that  Poe  took  advantage  of  his 
connection  with  the  "Gentleman's"  in  founding  this  new 
magazine.  Necessarily,  when  Poe  did  undertake  to  estab 
lish  "The  Penn  Magazine,"  which  at  once  became  his 
dominating  idea,  he  made  use  of  all  possible  means  to  fur 
ther  his  project.  What  aid  his  knowledge  of  the  circulation 
of  the  "Gentleman's"  would  have  been  is  not  apparent,  for 
it  was  the  public  approval  he  sought.  It  could  be  won  only 
by  the  pabulum  offered,  and  that  was  not  such  as  Poe 
could  provide.  It  took  a  more  tempting  menu  to  satisfy  the 
national  taste,  and  it  was  supplied — ad  nauseam. 

GRAHAM'S  LADY'S  AND  GENTLEMAN'S  MAGAZINE.  (The 
Casket  and  Gentleman's  United)  Embracing  Every  De 
partment  of  Literature :  Embellished  with  Engravings, 
Fashions  and  Music,  arranged  for  the  Piano-forte,  Harp 
and  Guitar.  Philadelphia:  George  R.  Graham.  1841. 

Volume  XVIII  and  XIX  to  December,  1841. 
Volume  XX  and  XXI  to  December,  1842. 
Volume  XXII-XXXV  to  December,  1849. 


POE:  A  BIBLIOGRAPHIC  STUDY      293 

At  the  end  of  1840,  as  the  above  title  indicates,  "The 
Gentleman's  Magazine"  was  bought  by  Graham,  and,  with 
this  consolidation,  the  scope  of  the  magazine  was  broad 
ened  to  include  a  larger  clientele.  One  short  word  was 
added  to  the  title  that  made  for  popularity.  This  word  was 
"Lady's."  The  journal  was  so  designed  as  to  include  all 
that  would  prove  of  interest  to  its  female  readers,  as  well 
as  the  males  to  which  the  "Gentleman's"  had  catered.  For 
this  reason  fashion  plates,  mat-work  on  embossed  paper 
designs,  and  steel  engravings  were  added,  forming  a  com 
bination  of  picturesque  atrocities  that  rivalled  those  to  be 
found  in  "Godey's  Lady's  Book." 

The  "Metzotinto"  reproductions  were  a  chromo  horror 
unbelievable  to  those  not  acquainted  with  the  fashion 
plates  of  those  days,  while  the  "embossed  work"  consisted 
of  such  paper  perforations  as  now  line  our  candy  boxes. 
The  steel  engravings  were  well  done,  and  the  titles — 
"Stags  at  Bay,"  "The  Gleaners,"  "The  Playmates,"  with 
"Why  Don't  HeCome?"  and  "He  Comes," — together  with 
certain  musical  selections  that  the  lack  of  a  rhythmical 
soul  prevents  me  from  judging,  appealed  to  the  readers  of 
those  days.  At  the  time  the  "Gentleman's"  was  consoli 
dated  with  "The  Casket,"  their  combined  circulation  did 
not  exceed  5000.  At  the  end  of  1842  it  had  reached  40,000. 

It  is  certain  that  whatever  energy  or  able  editorial 
work  Poe  might  have  injected  into  his  proposed  "Penn 
Magazine,"  it  never  could  have  survived  such  competi 
tion.  From  his  prospectus  it  would  seem  that  his  only 
ambition  was  to  furnish  a  high-class  literary  and  critical 
magazine  such  as  would  represent  the  best  that  America 
could  produce.  His  plan  failed  and  he  was  compelled  again 
to  seek  editorial  work. 

Early  in  1841 ,  Poe  was  offered  an  assistant  editorship  on 
Graham's  magazine  and,  for  the  present  foregoing  his  plan 
to  establish  his  own,  this  offer  was  accepted. 


294      POE:  A  BIBLIOGRAPHIC  STUDY 

In  the  preface  to  the  "Tales  of  the  Grotesque  and  Ara 
besque"  Poe  apparently  bade  adieu  o  the  "Germanic"  hor 
rors,  with  the  result  that  most  of  the  tales  he  now  published 
assumed  that  ratiocinative  character  for  which  he  is  so 
greatly  admired.  It  is  impossible  to  claim  priority  for  any 
special  class  either  of  poems  or  tales.  They  were  miscellan 
eous  in  character,  and  the  date  of  their  publication  was  in  no 
way  indicative  of  the  time  at  which  they  were  written.  Un 
doubtedly  many  of  Poe's  poems  and  tales  had  been  in  the 
possession  of  various  editors,  who  either  did  not  recognize 
their  literary  value  or  believed  the  public  would  be  un- 
appreciative  of  their  merit.  After  Poe's  direct  connection 
with  the  editorship  of  "Graham's"  had  ceased,  he  sub 
mitted  for  publication  the  most  popular  of  his  stories,  The 
Gold  Bug.  After  it  had  lain  in  Graham's  drawer  for  some 
months,  unpublished,  Poe  withdrew  it  and  entered  it  for  the 
$100  prize  offered  by  an  obscure  newspaper  of  Phila 
delphia,  named  "The  Dollar  Newspaper."  For  this  reason 
The  Gold  Bug  was  ushered  into  the  world  in  a  paper  so 
ephemeral  that  only  one  copy,  now  in  the  possession  of  the 
Maryland  Historical  Society,  can  be  found. 

The  facts  regarding  The  Raven  seem  to  be  a  matter  of 
even  greater  uncertainty,  not  only  as  to  method  of  com 
position  but  also  as  to  date.  Mr.  Rosenbach,  in  an  article 
published  in  1887,  states: 

I  read  The  Raven  before  it  was  published,  and  was  in  Mr.  George 
R.  Graham's  office  when  the  poem  was  offered  to  him.  Poe  said  that  his 
wife  and  Mrs.  Clemm  were  starving,  and  he  was  in  very  pressing  need 
of  money.  I  carried  him  $15  that  contributed  by  Mr.  Graham,  Mr. 
Godey,  Mr.  McMichael  and  others,  who  condemned  the  poem,  but 
gave  the  money  as  a  charity. 

Possibly  it  was  not  altogether  due  to  a  stupid  and  unap- 
preciative  public  that  the  importance  of  Poe's  work  re 
ceived  such  slight  recognition. 

The  nature  of  the  articles  contributed  to  "Graham's" 
makes  this  a  question  of  biographical  and  psychological 


POE:  A  BIBLIOGRAPHIC  STUDY      295 

interest.  It  is  possible  that  Poe  again  had  collected  much 
new  work,  which  he  failed  to  insert  either  in  "Burton's"  or 
'  'Graham's' '  because  the  recompense  he  received  from  these 
journals  was  not  in  proportion  to  the  contributions  fur 
nished.  With  some  brilliant  exceptions,  "Graham's"  was 
the  receptacle  of  his  twice,  and,  occasionally,  thrice  told 
tales;  this  constant  repetition  raises  the  doubt  of  Poe's 
continuing  capacity  for  original  work.  While  it  does  not 
seem  necessary  to  particularize  all  of  his  contributions  in 
"Graham's,"  certain  of  those  he  did  furnish  were  among 
his  best. 

In  April  appeared  The  Murders  in  the  Rue  Morgue;  in 
May,  A  Descent  into  the  Maelstrom;  in  June,  The  Island 
Fay;  in  August,  The  Colloquy  of  Monos  and  Una.  These 
stories  probably  mark  the  very  highest  point  to  which  the 
genius  of  Poe  attained,  although  it  is  possible  that  they  had 
been  among  those  stories  laid  away  for  special  publication. 
It  is  not  certain  that  The  Descent  into' the  Maelstrom  was 
among  these,  or  that  it  was  included  among  "The  Tales  of 
the  Folio  Club"  offered  to  Carey  &  Lea  in  1834.  But  it  is 
to  be  remarked  that  these  stories,  with  one  or  two  excep 
tions,  included  all  the  work  he  furnished  in  the  way  of 
prose  contributions.  This  supposed  deterioration  only  holds 
true  of  his  prose  works:  his  poetical  gift,  his  sense  of 
melody  with  the  increasing  knowledge  of  versification,  held 
till  the  end.  The  Marginalia  and  Literati  critiques,  in 
which  he  so  unsparingly  lashed  those  who  had  been  aptly 
called  the  "Quacks  of  Helicon,"  were  but  repetitions  of 
his  former  criticisms  and,  with  few  exceptions,  they  add 
nothing  to  the  value  of  the  critical  estimates  given. 

In  "Graham's"  Poe  again  took  up  his  articles  on  autog 
raphy  and  exhibited  remarkable  ability  in  deciphering  all 
cryptograms  offered  him  for  solution.  Although  the  pro 
cess  seems  simple  it  is  one  difficult  for  the  mind  to  grasp. 

It  is  possible  that  The  Raven,  not  published  till  some 


2%      POE:  A  BIBLIOGRAPHIC  STUDY 

years  later,  was  built  up  on  the  foundation  of  reasoning 
and  deduction  Poe  attempted  to  explain  in  his  essay, 
Rationale  of  Verse;  if  so,  the  process  is  so  unintelligible  to 
ordinary  comprehension  that  the  majority  of  critics  have 
refused  to  accept  it. 

Harrison,  in  summarizing  the  work  of  Poe,  remarks : 

At  thirty  years  of  age,  before  George  Eliot  or  Emerson,  or  one 
might  say  Walter  Scott,  had  begun  to  write,  Poe  had  produced  most 
of  the  prose  and  much  of  the  verse,  upon  which  his  enduring  fame  will 
rest. 

None  of  the  writers  Harrison  mentions  possessed  any  of 
the  genius  that  resulted  in  the  early  development  of  a 
Keats  or  a  Shelley,  a  Burns,  a  Byron,  or  a  Poe.  They 
bloomed  early  and,  productively  speaking,  they  died 
early. 

Although  their  names  are  immortal,  their  lives  were  filled 
with  evil  fortune  and  unhappiness,  mainly  for  the  reason 
that  their  point  of  view  so  differed  morally,  or  their  vision 
was  so  distorted  by  hereditary  obsessions,  that  they  could 
not  be  judged  by  the  standards  the  normal  man  has 
established. 

It  is  not  necessary  to  list  the  many  republications  and 
revisions  of  the  works  that  Poe  printed  in  "Graham's." 

It  is  possible  that  he  used  many  of  these  merely  for 
the  purpose  of  filling  unoccupied  space,  and  it  is  certain 
they  brought  him  no  extra  compensation.  In  his  last  few 
months,  while  employed  on  "Graham's"  these  contribu 
tions  were  infrequent.  Two  additional  stories,  The  Masque  of 
the  Red  Death  and  The  Oval  Portrait,  complete  his  publica 
tions  during  the  time  he  was  employed  as  editor. 

It  is  known  that  these  contributions  were  continued  for 
some  years  after  Poe  left  "Graham's",  although  there  is  no 
certainty  as  to  titles.  These  consisted  principally  of  re 
views,  but  they  did  not  include  any  of  his  well  known  tales 
or  poems. 


POE:  A  BIBLIOGRAPHIC  STUDY      297 

THE  NEW  MIRROR,  of  Literature,  Amusement  and  In 
struction:  containing  Original  Papers;  Tales  of  Ro 
mance;  Sketches  of  Society,  Manners,  and  Everyday 
Life;  Domestic  and  Foreign  Correspondence;  Wit  and 
Humour;  Fashion  and  Gossip;  the  Fine  Arts,  Literary 
and  Dramatic  Criticism;  Extracts  from  New  Works; 
Poetry,  Original  and  Selected ;  The  Spirit  of  the  Public 
Journals;  etc.,  etc.,  etc.  Edited  by  George  P.  Morris. 
Illustrated  by  J.  G.  Chapman.  Published  Weekly. 

Volume      I.  April  to  September,  1843 
Volume    II.  October  to  March  30,  1844 
Volume  III.  April  to  November,  1844 

Later  N.  P.  Willis  was  associated  in  the  management. 

Harrison  assigns  a  great  number  of  contributions  signed 
E.  P.,  which  appeared  in  the  "New  Mirror,"  to  Poe.  They 
are  translations  from  the  French,  and  cover  many  subjects. 
They  belong  to  the  "pot-boiler"  class,  show  no  originality 
and,  if  made  by  Poe,  could  only  have  been  undertaken 
through  sheer  necessity. 

While  Poe  was  not  officially  connected  with  "the  New 
Mirror"  until  late  in  September,  1843,  his  contributions 
date  from  May.  They  consisted  of  translations  from  the 
French,  usually  short  stories.  Finally  he  majored  on  a 
long  serial  called  The  Merchants  Daughter.  As  a  ''mechan 
ical  paragraphist",  Poe  continued  to  be  regularly  employed 
on  this  publication  for  the  balance  of  this  year,  and  con 
tributed  many  translations  but  his  work  cannot  definitely 
be  identified.  Woodberry  states : 

The  statement  that  Poe  contributed  translations  from  the  French 
to  the  New  Mirror  from  April,  1843,  to  its  discontinuance,  and  signed 
with  his  initials,  rests  on  a  negligent  examination  of  the  files.  The 
translations  referred  to  begin  January  3,  1843  (i,  9)  and  are  signed 
E.  P. ;  they  continue  to  the  end,  but  they  are  also  signed  at  the  be 
ginning  of  the  articles  'By  a  Lady.'  For  example,  i,  307,  355,  etc.  The 
complete  list  is  published  in  The  Virginia  Poe,  xvi,  368-371.  They  are 
perhaps  from  the  pen  of  Emily  Percival. 


298      POE:  A  BIBLIOGRAPHIC  STUDY 

As  a  rule  Woodberry  is  at  least  accurate,  but  why  he 
went  so  far  astray,  when  this  paper  was  accessible,  is  not 
understandable.  The  "New  Mirror"  was  first  issued  in 
April  8,  1843,  and  i,  9  is  a  blank  so  far  as  Poe  is  concerned. 
May  1 3  is  properly  named  as  the  first  date  of  the  appear 
ance  of  these  translations.  Nor  is  Woodberry  correct  in  his 
statement  that  these  translations  are  prefaced,  "By  a 
Lady."  They  are  signed  E.  P.  and  no  mention  of  the  lady 
translator  is  made  till  the  third  installment  of  The 
Merchants  Daughter,  i,  262,  where  the  initials  are  missing. 
Many  other  translations  bear  the  signature  E.  P.,  and  Poe 
partisans  will  rejoice  if  ever  it  be  established  that  they 
were  made  "By  a  Lady."  Possibly  a  seizure  temporarily 
incapacitated  Poe.  "By  A  Lady,"  without  signature,  con 
tinued  through  the  three  numbers  that  followed. 

The  last  issue  of  "The  New  Mirror"  was  that  of  Septem 
ber  28,  1844.  In  this  the  editors  made  an  illuminating 

ANNOUNCEMENT 

The  undersigned,  having  for  some  time  published  a  popular  peri 
odical,  the  postage  on  which  varied,  at  the  caprice  of  the  postmasters, 
from  two  cents  to  fifteen,  and  having  struggled  in  vain  with  the  Depart 
ment  to  secure  either  certainty  or  moderation,  as  to  its  cost  by  post 
age,  have  determined  to  struggle  no  longer  against  such  oppressive 
discouragement,  but  to  change  the  form  of  the  Weekly  Mirror,  and  to 
issue  in  addition  a  Daily  Paper,  to  be  called  THE  EVENING  MIRROR. 
.  .  .  THE  WEEKLY  MIRROR  will  contain  the  condensed  spice  and 
variety  of  the  six  daily  papers,  without  advertisements.  Adieu,  dear 
reader,  till  we  meet  again. 

The  "Weekly  Mirror"  retained  this  name  for  only  sixteen 
numbers  when,  without  explanation,  its  title  was  changed 
to  "New  York  Mirror",  a  name  that  was  retained  at  least 
till  1846,  covering  all  Poe  association.  It  was  on  this  news 
paper  that  Poe  was  given  a  minor  position — Woodberry 
calls  it  that  of  "an  assistant  or  'mechanical  paragraphist' ' 
—and  it  was  mainly  through  this  association  that  Willis 
was  able,  later,  to  speak  with  such  positiveness  as  to  Poe's 
habits,  and  to  form  the  estimate  of  Poe's  character  that 
he  used  as  the  basis  for  his  "Memoir." 


POE:  A  BIBLIOGRAPHIC  STUDY      299 

Contained  in  these  is  much  that  Poe  wrote  in  his  ca 
pacity  of  "sub-editor",  but  it  is  difficult  always  to  select. 
An  article  entitled  Plagiarism,  in  No.  20,  was  his  and  it 
deals  in  no  kindly  vein  with  Griswokfs  "Poets  and  Poetry." 

There  is  a  sympathetic  review  of  Poe's  lecture  on  this 
production,  written  by  Willis,  containing  this  criticism : 

What  we  heard  last  night  convinced  us,  however,  that  one  of  the 
most  readable  and  salable  of  books  would  be  a  dozen  of  such  Lectures 
by  Mr.  Poe,  and  we  give  him  a  publisher's  counsel  to  print  them.  .  .  . 
Mr.  Poe  gently  waked  up  the  American  poetesses.  He  began  with 
Mrs.  Sigourney,  whom  he  considered  the  best  known,  and  who,  he 
seemed  to  think,  owed  her  famousness  to  the  same  cause  as  'Old 
Boss  Richards' — the  being  kept  before  the  people.  He  spoke 
well  of  her  poetry  abstractly,  but  intimated  that  it  was  strongly  be- 
Hemans'd,  and  that  without  the  Hemans-hood  and  the  newspaper 
iteration,  Mrs.  Sigourney  would  not  be  the  first  American  Poetess. 
.  .  .  Mrs.  Osgood  came  next,  and  for  her  he  prophesied  a  rosy  future 
of  increasing  power  and  renown.  .  .  .  He  spent  some  time  in  showing 
that  the  two  Miss  Davidsons,  with  all  their  merit,  were  afloat  'on 
bladders  in  a  sea  of  glory.'  The  pricking  of  these  bladders,  by  the  way, 
and  the  letting  out  of  Miss  Sedgwick's  breath,  was  most  artistically 
well  done.  ...  Of  the  inspirejd  males  Mr.  Poe  only  took  up  the 
copperplate  five — BRYANT,  HALLECK,  LONGFELLOW,  SPRAGUE  and 
DANA.  These,  as  having  their  portraits  engraved  in  the  frontispiece 
of  Griswold's  'Poets  and  Poetry  of  America,'  were  taken  to  represen 
the  country's  poetry,  and  dropped  into  the  melting-pot  accordingly. 
Mr.  BRYANT  came  first  as  the  allowed  best  poet;  but  Mr.  Poe,  after 
giving  him  high  praise,  expressed  a  contempt  for  'public  opinion,' 
and  for  the  opinion  of  all  majorities,  in  matters  of  taste,  and  intimated 
that  Mr.  Bryant's  universality  of  approval  lay  in  his  keeping  within 
very  narrow  limits,  where  it  was  easy  to  have  no  faults.  HALLECK, 
Mr.  Poe  praised  exceedingly,  repeating  with  great  beauty  of  elocution 
his  Marco  Bozarris.  LONGFELLOW,  Mr.  Poe  said,  had  more  genius  than 
any  other  of  the  five,  but  his  fatal  alacrity  at  imitation  made  him 
borrow,  when  he  had  better  at  home.  SPRAGUE,  but  for  one  drop  of 
genuine  poetry  in  a  fugitive  piece,  was  described  by  Poe  as  Pope  and 
water.  DANA  found  very  little  favor.  Mr.  Poe  thought  his  metre  harsh 
and  awkward,  his  narrative  ill-managed,  and  his  conceptions  eggs 
from  other  people's  nests.  .  .  .  Mr.  Poe  had  an  audience  of  critics 
and  poets — between  two  and  three  hundred  of  victims  and  victim- 
izers — and  he  was  heard  with  breathless  attention. 

It  is  greatly  to  be  regretted  that  this  is  the  only  refer 
ence  to  his  lecture,  which  is  said  to  have  contained  a 
scathing  criticism  of  Griswold's  "Poets  and  Poetry  of 


300      POE:  A  BIBLIOGRAPHIC  STUDY 

America,"  and  which  Griswold  failed  to  insert  in  Poe's 
"Complete  Works." 

It  was  in  the  "Weekly  Mirror"  that  the  Longfellow  war 
raged.  It  was  begun  by  Poe,  who,  in  his  criticism  of  Long 
fellow's  "Waif",  in  No.  16,  said: 

Obviously,  this  volume  is  a  collection  of  some  few  of  the  prettiest 
shells  that  have  been  thrown  ashore  by  the  poetic  ocean;  but,  looking 
behind  this  idea,  we  see  that  Mr.  Longfellow's  real  design  has  been  to 
make  a  book  of  his  'Waifs,'  and  his  own  late  compositions,  conjointly; 
since  these  late  compositions  are  not  enough  in  number  to  make  a 
book  of  themselves: — an  ingenious  thought,  too,  with  which  no  one 
can  possibly  quarrel.  There  are  fifty  brief  poems  in  all,  exclusive  of  the 
Proem  which  is  professedly  by  the  compiler;  and,  of  these  fifty,  the 
seventeen  attributed  to  Anonymous  (a  person  who  writes  more  and 
better  than  any  man  living,)  we  take  to  be  the  work  of  him  who  com 
posed  Outre-Mer.  .  .  .  Let  us  mention  some  half  dozen  of  the  great 
names  which  embellish  the  compilation: — Shelley,  Herrick,  Marvel, 
Browning,  Hood,  and  Horace  Smith: — there  are  others,  too,  nearly, 
if  not  equally,  eminent.  Of  course,  then,  we  mean  a  compliment  worth 
at  least  a  bow  with  the  hand  upon  the  heart,  when  we  say  that  the 
Proem  is  the  worthiest  composition  in  the  volume. 

It  is  unfortunate  that  this  complete  criticism  has  not 
been  more  widely  republished.  Harrison  partly  quotes  it  as 
it  appeared  in  the  Marginalia,  but  the  heart  of  the 
criticism  was  omitted.  Evidently  Poe  approved  within  cer 
tain  limits,  but  his  own  peculiar  method  leaves  me  in  doubt 
as  to  just  how  far  this  approval  was  intended  seriously  to 
be  taken. 

The  first  quatrain  of  this  poem,  nevertheless,  embodies  a  fault  of 
illustration  which  Mr.  Longfellow  often  commits; — let  us  quote  the 
verses : 

"The  day  is  done,  and  the  darkness 
Falls  from  the  wings  of  Night, 
As  a  feather  is  wafted  downward 
From  an  eagle  in  his  flight." 

The  single  feather  is  imperfectly  illustrative  of  the  omniprevalent 
darkness — but  our  more  special  objection  is  to  the  likening  of  the 
falling  of  one  feather  to  the  falling  of  another. — Night  is  personified 
as  a  bird,  and  darkness  (the  feather  of  this  bird)  falls  from  it — how? — 
as  another  feather  falls  from  another  bird.  Why,  it  does  this  of  course. 
The  illustration  is  identical — that  is  to  say,  null.  It  has  no  more  force 
than  an  identical  proposition  in  logic. 


POE:  A  BIBLIOGRAPHIC  STUDY      301 

It  is  probable  that  Poe  attempted  a  compliment  in  the 
following : 

There  is  no  error,  as  a  general  rule,  more  certainly  fatal  to  a  poem 
than  defective  rhythm; — but  in  this  case  the  cautious,  skillfully 
planned  and  dexterously  executed  slip-shod-iness  is  so  thoroughly  in 
unison  with  the  nonchalant  air  of  the  thoughts — which,  again,  are  so 
capitally  applicable  to  the  thing  done — (a  mere  introduction  of  other 
people's  fancies) — that  the  effect  of  the  looseness  of  metre  becomes 
palpable,  and  we  see  at  once  that  here  is  a  case  in  which  to  be  correct 
would  have  been  inartistic. 

Evidently  Poe  resented  the  fact  that  "no  American 
poet  was  included  among  Longfellow's  selections";  he 
concluded  his  criticism  as  follows : 

We  conclude  our  notes  on  the  'Waif,'  with  the  observation  that, 
although  full  of  beauties,  it  is  infected  with  a  moral  taint — or  is  this  a 
mere  freak  of  our  own  fancy?  We  shall  be  pleased  if  it  be  so; — but  there 
does  appear,  in  this  exquisite  little  volume,  a  very  careful  avoidance 
of  all  American  poets  who  may  be  supposed  especially  to  interfere 
with  the  claims  of  Mr.  Longfellow.  These  men  Mr.  Longfellow  can 
continuously  imitate  (is  that  the  word?)  and  yet  never  even  inciden 
tally  commend. 

It  was  this  final  thrust  that  induced  Willis,  in  the  same 
issue,  to  offer  his  columns  to  any  Boston  friend  who  desired 
to  answer.  This  was  feebly  responded  to  by  a  correspond 
ent  signing  himself  H.,  denying  that  Longfellow  had 
written  any  of  the  anonymous  poems.  As  a  matter  of  fact, 
the  "Proem"  was  the  only  poem  contributed  by  Longfellow. 

It  is  difficult  to  understand  Poe's  reason  for  using  the 
pseudonym  "Quarles"  in  the  American  Review  while  his 
own  name  prefaced  the  "Mirror"  publication. 

In  the  February  1845  number  The  Raven  was  published. 
This  poem  having  been  issued  in  advance,  the  following 
explanation  was  prefaced : 

We  are  permitted  to  copy  (in  advance  of  publication)  from  the 
2d  No.  of  the  'American  Review,'  the  following  remarkable  poem  by 
EDGAR  POE.  In  pur  opinion,  it  is  the  most  effective  single  example  of 
'fugitive  poetry'  ever  published  in  this  country;  and  unsurpassed  in 
English  poetry  for  subtle  conception,  masterly  ingenuity  of  versifica 
tion,  and  consistent  sustaining  of  imaginative  lift  and  'poker  ishness.' 
It  is  one  of  these  'dainties  bred  in  a  book'  which  we  feed  on. 


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POE:  A  BIBLIOGRAPHIC  STUDY      303 

In  Number  22,  in  an  adjoining  column  to  that  containing 
Willis's  review  of  the  Poe  lecture,  was  finally  printed  a 
reply,  signed  by  Outis,  and  Poe  found  a  worthy  foeman. 
The  war  was  prosecuted  with  vigor  in  the  "Mirror,"  till 
Willis  refused  further  space,  and  then  on  Poe's  part  in 
the  "Broadway  Journal."  The  "Mirror"  contains  much 
else,  both  that  Poe  wrote  and  that  referred  to  Poe. 
Among  the  latter  were  several  parodies  of  The  Raven. 
One  of  these  was  called  "The  Owl,"  another  "The 
Whippoorwill" ;  neither  rose  above  the  mediocrity  of 
parodies  although  they  showed  the  rapidity  with  which 
TheRavenhad  become  popularized.  Probably  the  best  thing 
was  a  humorous  prose  criticism,  attempting  an  analysis 
of  the  underlying  thought — which  proved  that  there  was 
no  "think."  Poe  was  sensitive  to  these  criticisms  and  com 
plained  of  them  as  silly  and  pointless. 

Nearly  fifty  other  pieces,  mostly  reviews  and  transla 
tions,  which  appeared  in  the  "Mirror"  have  been  attrib 
uted  to  Poe.  Many  of  these  were  signed  E.  P.,  but  none  of 
them  deserves  particular  notice;  they  were  perfunctory 
contributions  made  in  his  capacity  as  editor.  During  this 
time  many  of  his  noteworthy  productions  were  published 
in  other  journals,  for  the  reason,  apparently,  that  in  the 
salaried  position  Poe  occupied  he  could  not  afford  to 
furnish  articles  that  other  magazines  were  willing  to  buy. 
During  this  time  appeared  in  various  publications:  The 
Tell  Tale  Heart,  a  marvelous  description,  from  the  alienist's 
standpoint,  of  an  incipient  homicidal  mania,  The  Pit  and 
The  Pendulum,  The  Mystery  of  Marie  Roget,  Lenore,  The 
Gold  Bug  and  The  Black  Cat.  It  was  only  by  courtesy  that 
The  Raven  appeared  in  the  "Mirror." 

In  addition  to  these  major  productions,  many  others 
less  well  known  were  published.  Morning  on  the  Wissa- 
hicon,  republished  under  the  title  The  Elk,  A  Tale  of  the 
Ragged  Mountains,  The  Balloon  Hoax,  Diddling  Con- 


304      POE:  A  BIBLIOGRAPHIC  STUDY 

side  red  as  One  of  the  Exact  Sciences,  Mesmeric  Revelations, 
The  Premature  Burial,  The  Oblong  Box,  The  Angel  of  the 
Odd,  as  well  as  his  Marginalia,  appeared  in  various 
magazines  and  annuals. 

This  certainly  was  the  fruiting  season  of  Poe's  genius. 
Or  was  it  that  The  Raven  created  a  demand  for  his 
poems  and  tales,  and  caused  them  more  eagerly  to  be 
sought  for  both  by  publishers  and  the  public? 

THE  PIONEER.  A  Literary  and  Critical  Magazine.  J.  R. 
Lowell  and  R.  Carter,  Editors  and  Proprietors.  Jan 
uary,  1843.  Boston :  Leland  and  Whiting,  67  Washington 
Street,  opposite  the  Post  Office. 

This  journal  was  established  and  was  excellently  edited 
by  Lowell,  although  it  did  not  survive  the  year  that  gave 
it  birth.  While  Lowell's  work  is  trifling,  consisting  of  one 
poem,  a  few  essays,  and  probably  "literary  notices"  and 
"literary  intelligence,"  he  was  fortunate  in  the  character 
of  his  contributors.  John  Neal,  the  Yankee  editor,  furnished 
several  readable  sketches,  the  one  on  "Aaron  Burr"  being 
of  special  interest. 

Hawthorne  published  in  "The  Pioneer"  his  well  known 
tales  "The  Hall  of  Fantasy"  and  "The  Birth  Mark." 

It  is  interesting  at  this  time  to  look  back  and  attempt  to 
recognize  those  Hawthorne  placed  in  this  Hall.  One  is  not 
surprised  to  find  Longfellow  occupying  a  well  deserved 
seat,  but  that  Holmes  should  occupy  the  Throne  of  Honor 
is  a  little  startling.  Who  was  Percival  ?  and  by  what  right 
did  Pierpont  and  Sprague,  or  even  Dana  occupy  seats 
among  the  poets?  It  is  embarrassing  to  read  of  "The 
young  author  of  Dolon,"  and  to  have  another  referred  to  as 
the  "author  of  Arthur  Mervyn,"  yet  I  suppose  it  is  pos 
sible  for  some  book  worm  to  delve  into  the  archives  of  our 
early  literature  and  read  the  riddle.  Charles  Brockden 
Brown's  name  recalls  no  answering  memory,  nor  do  I 


THE  PIONEER. 


an&  Critical 


J.  B.  LOWELL  AND  R.  CARTER, 

EDITORS  AND  PROPRIETORS. 


1843. 


VOL.  I.— NO.     I. 


Reform,  therefore,  without  bravery  or  scandal  of  former  times  and  persons ;  but  yet  set  it  down  to  thyself 
as  Veil  to  create  good  precedents  as  to  follo\7  them.  LOBO  BACOB. 


BOSTON: 
LELAND    AND   WHITING, 

87  WASHINGTON  STREET,  OPPOSITE  THE  POST  OFFICE. 


Three  sheet  periodical.  HUNTED  LIT  FBEEMAN  AM>  SOUU£4  ^3  per.  ana.  ia  adv. 


306      POE:  A  BIBLIOGRAPHIC  STUDY 

believe  that  the  fault  lies  altogether  with  myself.  Halleck 
and  Willis  occupy  prominent  positions.  Sargent,  Tucker- 
man  and  Hillard  receive  mention,  while  "Lowell,  the  poet 
of  the  generation  that  now  enters  upon  the  stage,"  is 
especially  honored.  "There  was  Washington  Allston,  who 
possesses  the  freedom  of  the  hall  by  the  threefold  claim  of 
painter,  novelist  and  poet."  Another  reference  deserves 
notice:  "I  saw  Mr.  Rufus  Griswold,  with  pencil  and  mem 
orandum  book,  busily  noting  down  the  names  of  all  the 
poets  and  poetesses  there,  and  likewise  of  some,  whom 
nobody  but  himself  had  suspected  of  ever  visiting  the 
hall."  Evidently  Griswold  was  not  highly  regarded  even  in 
his  own  day.  A  strange  omission  was  the  name  of  Whittier. 

I  looked  eagerly  for  some  reference  to  Poe.  Finally  it 
came  at  the  bottom  of  the  list.  Evidently  he  was  not  loved, 
nor  regarded  as  a  literary  man — rather  he  was  placed  as 
a  critic  in  the  "Hall"  erected  by  the  kindliest  and  one  of  the 
greatest  of  our  men  of  letters.  He  was  persona  non  grata 
in  this  assemblage  of  the  Unknowns.  "Mr.  Poe  had  gained 
ready  admittance  for  the  sake  of  his  imagination,  but  was 
threatened  with  ejectment,  as  belonging  to  the  obnoxious 
class  of  critics." 

But,  side  by  side  with  this  semi-humorous  statement  of 
Hawthorne's  was  Poe's  refutation,  and  the  printed  evidence 
of  his  right  not  only  to  entry  but  to  primacy.  Although  only 
three  numbers  of  the  "Pioneer"  were  published,  each  con 
tain  a  proof  of  Poe's  supremacy  in  the  three  departments 
in  which  he  excelled.  The  January  number  contained  The 
Tell  Tale  Heart.  In  that  of  February  was  his  revised  and 
reconstructed  Paean,  republished  as  Lenore.  The  third  and 
concluding  number  contained  Poe's  Notes  upon  English 
Verse,  probably  his  most  logical  essay  in  that  field  in 
which  he  was  master.  The  one  published  in  the  November, 
1848,  "Southern  Literary  Messenger,"  under  the  title 
The  Rationale  of  Verse,  while  more  elaborated,  I  believe 


THE  TELL-TALE  HEART. 


SONNET. 


87     J.     R.     LOWELL. 


OUR  love -is  not  a  fading  earthly  flower ; 

Its  winged  seed  dropt  down  from  paradise, 
And  nursed  by  day  and  night,  by  sun  and  shower, 

Doth  momently  to  fresher  beauty  rise  : 
To  us  the  leafless  autumn  is  not  bare, 

Nor  winter's  rattling  boughs  lack  lusty  green, 
Our  summer  hearts  make  summer's  fulness  where 

No  leaf  or  bud  or  blossom  may  be  seen : 
For  nature's  life  in  love's  deep  life  doth  lie, 

Love  —  whose  forgetfulness  is  beauty's  death, 
Whose  mystic  key  these  cells  of  thou  and  I 

Into  the  infinite  freedom  openeth, 
And  makes  the  body's  dark  and  narrow  grate 
The  wide-flung  leaves  of  heaven's  palace-gate. 


THE    TELL-TALE    HEART. 


BY     E  DGAR     A.     POE 


Art  is  long  and  Time  is  fleeting, 
And  our  hearts,  though  stout  arid  brave, 

Still,  like  muffled  drums,  are  beating 
Funeral  marches  to  the  grave. 


Longfellow. 


TRUE  !  —.  nervous  —  very,  very  dreadfully 
nervous  I  had  been,  and  am  ;  but  why  will  you 
say  that  I  am  mad  I  The  disease  had  sharp 
ened  my  senses  —  not  destroyed  —  not  dulled 
them.  Above  all  was  the  sense  of  hearing 
acute.  I  heard  all  things  in  the  heaven  and  in 
the  earth.  I  heard  many  things  in  hell.  How, 
then,  am  I  mad  ?  Harken  !  and  observe  how 
healthily  —  how7  calmly  I  can  tell  you  the  whole 
story. 

It  is  impossible  to  say  how  first  the  idea  en 
tered  my  brain  ;  but,  once  conceived,  it  haunted 
me  day  and  night..  Object  there  was  none. 
Passion  there  was  none.  I  loved  the  old  man. 
He  had  never  wronged  me.  He  had  never 
given  me  insult.  For  his  gold  I  had  no  desire. 
I  think  it  was  his  eye !  —  yes,  it  was  this  !  He 
had  the  eye  of  a  vulture  —  a  pale  blue  eye, 
with  a  film  over  it.  Whenever  it  fell  upon  me^ 
my  blood  ran  cold  ;  and  so,  by  degrees  —  very 
gradually  —  I  made  up  my  mind  to  take  the 
life  of  the  old  man,  and  thus  rid  myself  of  the 
eye  forever.  . 

Now  thi»  is  the  point..  You  fancy  me  mad. 
Madmen  know  nothing.  But  you  should  have 


seen  me.  You  should  have  seen  how  wisely  I 
proceeded  —  with  what  caution  —  with  what 
foresight — with  what  dissimulation  I  went  to 
work  !  I  was  never  kinder  to  the  old  man  than 
during  the  whole  week  before  I  killed  him. 
And  every  night,  about  midnight,  I  turned  the 
latch  of  his  door  and  opened  it  —  oh  so  gently  ! 
And  then,  when  I  had  made  an  opening  suffi 
cient  for  my  head,  I  first  put  in  a  dark  lantern^ 
all  closed,  closed,  so  that  no  light  shone  out, 
and  then  I  thrust  in  my  head.  Oh,  you  would 
have  laughed  to  see  how  cunningly  I  thrust  it 
in  !  I  moved  it  slowly  —  very,  very  slowly, 
so  that  I  might  not  disturb  the  old  man's  sleep. 
It  took  me  an  hour  to  place  my.  whole  head 
within  the  opening  so  far  that  I  could  see  the 
old  man  as  he  lay  upon  his  bed.  Htt !  —  would, 
a  madman  have  been  so  wise  as  this?  And 
then,  when  my  head  was  well  in  the  room,  I 
undid  the  lantern  cautiously  — oh,  so  cau 
tiously  (for  the .  hinges  creaked)  —  I  undid 
it  just  so  much  that,  a  single  thin  ray  fell  upon 
the  vulture  eye.  And  this  I  did  for  seven 
long  nights  —  every,  night  just  at  midnight  — 
but  I  found  the  eye  always  closed ;  and,  SO  it 


308      POE:  A  BIBLIOGRAPHIC  STUDY 

shows  evidence  of  Poe's  mental  deterioration.  I  do  not  be 
lieve  that  Poe's  story,  The  Tell  Tale  Heart,  in  statement, 
in  simplicity  of  construction,  and  in  horror  of  conception, 
can  be  paralleled  by  any  other  in  our  language.  It  is  a 
study  of  a  homicidal  maniac.  As  such,  its  superior  is  not 
found  in  our  medical  annals. 

True! — nervous — very,  very  dreadfully  nervous  I  had  been  and  am ; 
but  why  will  you  say  that  I  am  mad?  The  disease  had  sharpened  my 
senses — not  destroyed — not  dulled  them.  Above  all  was  the  sense  of 
hearing  acute.  I  heard  all  things  in  the  heaven  and  in  the  earth.  I 
heard  many  things  in  hell.  ...  It  is  impossible  to  say  how  first  the 
idea  entered  my  brain;  but,  once  conceived,  it  haunted  me  day  and 
night.  ...  I  loved  the  old  man.  He  had  never  wronged  me.  He  had 
never  given  me  insult.  For  his  gold  I  had  no  desire.  I  think  it  was  his 
eye!  Yes,  it  was  this!  One  of  his  eyes  resembled  that  of  a  vulture — a 
pale  blue  eye,  with  a  film  over  it.  Whenever  it  fell  upon  me  my  blood 
ran  cold ;  and  so  by  degrees — very  gradually — I  made  up  my  mind  to 
take  the  life  of  the  old  man,  and  thus  rid  myself  of  the  eye  forever. 
.  .  .  You  fancy  me  mad.  Madmen  know  nothing.  But  you  should 
have  seen  me.  You  should  have  seen  how  wisely  I  proceeded.  .  .  . 
Every  night  about  midnight,  I  turned  the  latch  of  his  door  and 
opened  it.  ...  I  moved  it  slowly — very,  very  slowly,  so  that  I  might 
not  disturb  the  old  man's  sleep.  Would  a  madman  have  been  so  wise 
as  this?  .  .  .  And  this  I  did  for  seven  long  nights,  but  I  found  the  eye 
closed ;  and  so  it  was  impossible  to  do  the  work ;  for  it  was  not  the  old 
man  who  vexed  me  but  his  Evil  Eye.  .  .  .  Upon  the  eighth  night  I 
was  more  than  usually  cautious  in  opening  the  door.  A  watch's  minute 
hand  moves  more  quickly  than  did  mine.  Never  before  that  night,  had 
I  felt  the  extent  of  my  own  powers — of  my  sagacity.  ...  I  fairly 
chuckled  at  the  idea ;  and  perhaps  he  heard  me ;  for  he  moved  on  the 
bed  suddenly,  as  if  startled.  ...  I  kept  quite  still  and  said  nothing. 
For  a  whole  hour  I  did  not  move  a  muscle.  .  .  .  Presently  I  heard  a 
slight  groan,  and  I  knew  it  was  the  groan  of  mortal  terror.  ...  I 
knew  the  sound  well.  Many  a  night,  just  at  midnight,  when  all  the 
world  slept  it  has  welled  up  from  my  own  bosom,  deepening  with  its 
dreadful  echo,  the  terrors  that  distracted  me.  .  .  .  When  I  had  waited 
a  long  time,  very  patiently,  without  hearing  him  lie  down,  I  resolved 
to  open  a  little — a  very  little  crevice  in  the  lantern.  So  I  opened  it — 
you  cannot  imagine  how  stealthily,  stealthily — until,  at  length,  a 
single  dim  ray,  like  the  thread  of  the  spider,  shot  from  out  the  crevice 
and  fell  upon  the  vulture  eye.  It  was  open — wide,  wide  open — and  I 
grew  furious  as  I  gazed  upon  it.  I  saw  it  with  perfect  distinctness — all 
a  dull  blue,  with  a  hideous  veil  over  it  that  chilled  the  very  marrow 
of  my  bones;  but  I  could  see  nothing  else  of  the  old  man's  face  or 
person;  for  I  had  directed  the  ray  as  by  instinct,  precisely  upon  the 
damned  spot. 


POE:  A  BIBLIOGRAPHIC  STUDY      309 

And  now  have  I  not  told  you  what  you  mistake  for  madness  is  but 
over  acuteness  of  the  senses? — now,  I  say,  there  came  to  my  ears  a 
low,  dull,  quick  sound,  such  as  a  watch  makes  when  enveloped  in 
cotton.  I  knew  that  sound  well,  too.  It  was  the  beating  of  the  old  man's 
heart.  It  increased  my  fury,  as  the  beating  of  a  drum  stimulates  the 
soldier  into  courage.  .  .  .  Meantime  the  hellish  tattoo  of  the  heart 
increased.  It  grew  quicker  and  quicker,  and  louder  and  louder  every 
instant.  ...  I  say  louder  every  moment !  do  you  mark  me  well  ?  .  .  . 
But  the  beating  grew  louder,  louder!  I  thought  the  heart  must  burst. 
.  .  .  With  a  yell  I  threw  open  the  lantern  and  jumped  into  the  room. 
He  shrieked  once — only  once.  .  .  .  But,  for  many  minutes  the  heart 
beat  on  with  a  muffled  sound.  This  did  not  vex  me;  it  would  not  be 
heard  through  the  wall.  ...  I  placed  my  hand  upon  the  heart  and 
held  it  there  many  minutes.  There  was  no  pulsation.  He  was  stone 
dead.  His  eye  would  trouble  me  no  more.  ...  I  then  took  up  three 
planks  from  the  flooring  of  the  chamber,  and  deposited  it  between  the 
scantlings.  ...  As  the  bell  sounded  the  hour  there  came  a  knocking 
at  the  street  door.  I  went  down  to  open  it  with  a  light  heart, — for 
what  had  I  now  to  fear?  There  entered  officers  of  the  police.  A  shriek 
had  been  heard  during  the  night;  suspicion  of  foul  play  had  been 
aroused.  ...  I  smiled,  for  what  had  I  to  fear?  ...  I  took  my  visi 
tors  all  over  the  house.  I  bade  them  search — search  well.  I  led  them 
at  last  to  his  chamber.  ...  I  brought  chairs  into  the  room  and  de 
sired  them  here  to  rest  from  their  fatigues.  .  .  .  The  officers  were 
satisfied.  My  manner  had  convinced  them.  I  was  singularly  at  ease. 
.  .  .  Ere  long,  I  felt  myself  getting  pale  and  wished  them  gone.  My 
head  ached,  and  I  fancied  a  ringing  in  my  ears :  But  still  they  sat  and 
chatted.  The  ringing  became  more  distinct : — it  continued  and  became 
more  distinct.  I  talked  more  freely  but  it  continued  and  gained 
definiteness — until  at  length,  I  found  that  the  noise  was  not  in  my 
ears. 

No  doubt  I  now  grew  very  pale ; — but  I  talked  more  fluently,  and 
with  a  heightened  voice.  Yet  the  sound  increased.  It  was  a  low,  dull, 
quick  sound — much  such  a  sound  as  a  watch  makes  when  enveloped  in 
cotton,  yet  the  officers  heard  it  not.  I  talked  more  quickly — more 
vehemently;  but  the  noise  steadily  increased.  ...  I  foamed — I 
raved — I  swore !  I  swung  the  chair  upon  which  I  had  been  sitting,  and 
grated  it  upon  the  boards,  but  the  noise  rose  above  all  and  continually 
increased.  It  grew  louder — louder — louder!  And  still  the  men  chatted 
pleasantly  and  smiled.  ...  I  felt  I  must  scream  or  die! — and  now — 
again! — hark!  louder!  louder!  louder!  louder! — 

"Villains!"  I  shrieked,  "dissemble  no  more!  I  admit  the  deed! — 
tear  up  the  planks, — here,  here! — it  is  the  beating  of  his  hideous 
heart!" 

Lauvriere  is  seriously  in  error  in  confusing  the  motive 
underlying  this  story  with  that  of  The  Black  Cat.  In  the 
latter,  the  murder  was  the  compulsive  act  of  a  diseased 


310      POE:  A  BIBLIOGRAPHIC  STUDY 

brain  inflamed  and  engorged  by  constant  use  of  alcohol 
which  produced  morbid  changes  that  resulted  in  uncontrol 
lable  outbreaks  of  anger,  but  with  no  delusion.  Our  medical 
literature,  as  well  as  our  daily  papers,  have  noted  many 
such  crimes.  The  Tell  Tale  Heart  has  a  delusional  basis  and  is 
to  be  differentiated,  pathologically  as  well  as  etiologically, 
from  The  Black  Cat.  It  is  in  this  that  its  appeal  to  the 
psychiatrist  lies.  No  better  description  exists  of  the  slowly 
developing  homicidal  impulse,  swayed  by  no  passion  or 
sudden  emotion,  but  reasoned  and  premeditated,  and 
based  on  an  uncontrollable  delusion. 

THE  BOSTON  MISCELLANEY  of  Literature  and  Fashion. 
Edited  by  Nathan  Hale,  Jr. 

Volume    I.  January  to  July,  1842, 
Volume  1 1 .  July  to  December,  1 842 

This  magazine  is  only  mentioned  to  protest  against 
claims  that  have  been  made  in  its  behalf  as  containing 
matter  of  Poe  interest. 

As  far  as  I  can  ascertain  these  were  the  only  two  volumes 
of  this '  'Miscellaney , ' '  published,  and  neither  contained  any 
reference  to  Poe,  further  than  a  review  of  "Griswold's 
American  Poetry",  and  it  is  that  one  which  Griswold  paid 
Poe  to  write.  Its  insertion  was  probably  the  result  of  a 
quid  pro  quo,  for,  as  Griswold  assured  Poe,  he  (Griswold) 
would  find  a  way  to  have  it  published.  Although  this 
journal  contains  little  Poeana,  there  is  much  of  interest 
in  it.  There  are  several  poems  by  Lowell,  'The  Old  Eng 
lish  Dramatis",  and  a  few  of  his  essays.  W.  W.  Story, 
Longfellow,  Thoreau,  and  other  well  known  writers  were 
contributors.  It  was  profusely  illustrated  with  fashion- 
plates  and  engravings.  Among  these,  the  Astor  House, 
Bunker  Hill  Monument  and  Boston  Common  vividly 
recall  past  glories. 


POE:  A  BIBLIOGRAPHIC  STUDY      311 

THE  LADIES'  COMPANION.  A  Monthly  Magazine  Embrac 
ing  Every  Department  of  Literature.  Embellished  with 
Original  Engravings,  and  Music  arranged  for  the  Piano 
forte  and  Guitar. 

Volume  XVIII.  October,  1842,  to  May,  1843 
Volume  XIX.  May,  1843,  to  October,  1843 
New  York :    William  W.  Snowden 

This  magazine  belongs  to  the  same  class  of  publication  as 
"Graham's,"  "Godey's"  and  other  of  the  periodicals  that 
catered  to  the  public  taste  of  those  days. 

Unlike  "Graham's,"  which  for  some  years  maintained  a 
high  standard,  and  included  among  its  contributors  the 
best  known  writers  of  those  days,  the  "Ladies"  apparently 
was  satisfied  with  writers  less  well  known — at  least  few 
names  appeared  which  students  of  American  literature  now 
can  place.  Among  this  set  of  unknown  writers,  and  in  this 
distinctly  third  rate  magazine,  we  find  the  name  of  Poe. 
It  was  in  November,  1842,  that  the  first  installment  of  The 
Mystery  of  Marie  Roget  appeared,  to  be  followed  by  the 
second  installment  in  December,  and  the  third  and  con 
cluding  installment  in  February,  1843.  It  is  another  of 
Poe's  detective  stories  and  he  calls  it  "A  Sequel  to  'The 
Murders  in  the  Rue  Morgue ."  It  is  in  reality  an  at 
tempted  solution  of  a  murder  that  actually  had  occurred. 
It  is  said  that  later  developments  seemed  to  establish  Poe's 
deductions  as  correct,  but  all  such  statements  are  to  be 
taken  cum  grano  sails.  However,  Woodberry  relates  the 
inetresting  fact  that  Mary  Rogers'  employer,  a  man  named 
Anderson,  believed  that  he  was  in  mediumistic  communi 
cation  with  her,  and  that  she  not  only  detailed  the  facts 
of  the  murder  but  remained  in  personal  association  with 
him  and  advised  him  in  business  matters. 

"Snowden's,"  for  October,  contained  The  Landscape 
Garden. 


312      POE:  A  BIBLIOGRAPHIC  STUDY 

GODEY'S  MAGAZINE  AND  LADY'S  BOOK.  Edited  by  Mrs. 
Sarah  J.  Hale,  Morton  M'Michael  and  Louis  Godey. 

Volumes  XXVIII  and  XXIX  to  December,  1844 
Volumes  XXX  and  XXXI  to  December,  1845 
Volumes  XXXII  and  XXXIII  to  December,  1846 
Volumes  XXXIV  to  XL  to  December,  1849 

Bad  as  the  illustrations  are,  and  absurd  as  are  the 
fashion  plates  and  the  mezzo-tints  of  those  days,  the  tales, 
sketches  and  poetry  appeal  even  less  to  the  taste  of  modern 
readers.  Such  inane  contents  indicate  a  demand  that  does 
not  speak  well  for  the  literary  judgment  of  those  days. 

Yet  it  is  among  these  trivial  contributions  that  we  must 
seek  for  much  of  Poe's  work.  In  this  magazine  was  first 
published  A  Tale  of  the  Ragged  Mountains,  The  Oblong  Box, 
The  Thousand  and  Second  Tale  of  Scheherazade  and  Numbers 
3  and  4  of  the  Marginalia,  the  first  two  having  been  pub 
lished  in  the  "Democratic  Review."  The  Literati,  in  its 
entirety,  was  published  in  "Godey's,"  May  to  October,  1846. 
Poe's  last  contribution  was  The  Cask  of  Amontillado,  in  the 
November  number.  After  that  date  his  regular  contribu 
tions  ceased.  In  February,  1849,  Mellonta  Tauta  was  pub 
lished.  There  were  occasional  reviews,  the  most  notable 
one  being  entitled  "Tale  Writing:  Hawthorne." 

THE  AMERICAN  REVIEW.  A  Whig  Journal  of  Politics,  Lit 
erature,  Arts  and  Science.  New  York:  Wiley  and  Put 
nam.  1845. 

Volumes  I  and  II  to  December,  1845 
Volumes  III  and  IV  to  December,  1846 
Volumes  V  and  VI  to  December,  1847 
Volumes  VII  and  VIII  to  December,  1848. 

In  January,  1845,  this  American  magazine,  worthy  of 
its  great  city,  and  of  any  period  of  American  literature, 


POE:  A  BIBLIOGRAPHIC  STUDY      313 

was  first  published.  While  from  its  title  it  would  seem  that, 
in  its  foundation,  it  was  intended  to  be  essentially  political, 
and  while  for  that  reason  it  no  longer  holds  the  interest  it 
at  one  time  possessed,  it  represents  the  beginning  of 
that  great  movement  that  ended  in  secession;  and  this 
subject  in  all  its  phases  was  most  fully  discussed.  But  it 
contained  much  of  interest  besides  political  subjects. 
There  were  reviews  of  foreign  matters;  especially  was 
our  relation  to  the  "Naboth's  Vineyard,"  surrounding  us, 
frequently  considered.  Our  policy  in  acquiring  territory, 
especially  as  it  related  to  Texas,  Oregon  and  California, 
was  seriously  debated.  Even  the  possibility  of  constructing 
a  great  Pacific  railroad  was  fully  discussed,  and  one  is  sur 
prised  by  the  breadth  of  vision  our  fore-fathers  showed — 
in  getting  what  we  had  no  legal,  but  every  right,  utilitarian 
and  economical  to  have.  It  would  seem  that,  while  honesty 
is  the  best  policy,  the  other  policy  occasionally  pays. 

One  of  the  delightful  features  of  this  magazine  was  that 
it  was  not  all  political,  literary,  or  even  confined  to  topics 
of  world  interest.  It  had,  as  an  associate  editor,  C.  W. 
Webber,  who  had  sat  at  the  feet  of  Audubon,  and  who  well 
deserved  the  friendship  that  naturalist  gave  him.  In  re 
turn,  and  because  of  that  friendship,  we  have  some  very 
delightful  sketches  and  details  of  actual  experiences  relat 
ing  to  Audubon.  In  his  younger  and  more  adventurous 
life,  Webber  had  lived  among  the  wild  animals,  brute  and 
human,  and  had  studied  many  of  the  subjects  that  par 
ticularly  interested  Audubon.  The  two  met  in  their  travels, 
the  one  old  in  honors  and  already  a  celebrity,  the  other  a 
neophite,|but  with  a  heart  full  of  love  and  veneration. 
Webber's  pen  pictures  give  us  much  information  of  the 
great  naturalist  in  the  declining  years  of  his  life,  when  he 
was  still  vigorous  mentally  and  physically. 

Entertaining,  and  well  worth  preserving  as  these  is 
sues  are,  they  would  not  have  been  so  eagerly  sought  as 


314      POE:  A  BIBLIOGRAPHIC  STUDY 

they  have  been,  had  not  Poe  also  been  a  frequent  and  im 
portant  contributor.  For  the  second  number  issued  in 
February,  1845,  contains  the  original  publication  of  The 
Raven.  This  poem  was  preceded  by  an  explanatory  note 
signed  by  the  "Ed.  Am.  Rev."  but  which  sounds  extra 
ordinarily  like  Poe. 

The  resources  of  English  rhythm  for  varieties  of  melody,  measure, 
and  sound,  producing  corresponding  diversities  of  effect,  have  been 
thoroughly  studied,  much  more  perceived  by  very  few  poets  in  the 
language.  While  the  classic  tongues,  especially  the  Greek,  possess,  by 
power  of  accent,  several  advantages  for  versification  over  our  own, 
chiefly  through  greater  abundance  of  spondaic  feet,  we  have  other  and 
very  great  advantages  of  sound  by  the  modern  usage  of  rhyme.  Allit 
eration  is  nearly  the  only  effect  of  that  kind  which  the  ancients  had  in 
common  with  us. 

"Quarles,"  for  some  unknown  reason,  was  selected  as  a 
pseudonym.  In  a  note  special  attention  is  called  to  the 
poem  as  being  "the  most  felicitous"  that  the  writer  had 
yet  met  with  in  the  English  language.  It  was  also  pub 
lished  in  the  "Mirror"  simultaneously  with  its  appearance 
in  the  "Review."  In  the  "Mirror"  Poe  used  his  own  name. 

In  the  April  number,  Some  Words  with  a  Mummy  was 
first  published.  In  the  same  number  two  of  Poe's  poems, 
The  Valley  of  Unrest,  signed,  and  The  City  by  the  Sea,  un 
signed,  also  appeared.  To  the  July  number  Poe  con 
tributed  Eulalie — A  Song.  In  September  there  was  an 
elaborate  review  of  Poe's  tales,  a  revision  of  which  had 
just  appeared,  published  by  Wiley  and  Putnam.  This  was 
probably  written  by  Duyckinck,  who  had  made  the  selec 
tion — a  selection  which  Poe  hotly  resented  as  not  repre 
senting  his  best  stories. 

Another  and  important  contribution  by  Poe  was  made 
to  the  "Review"  in  December,  1845,  when  The  Facts  in  the 
Case  of  M.  Valdemar  was  published.  This  was  the  second  of 
his  tales  that  had  been  separately  republished  in  England. 
It  was  given  the  following  title: 


POE:  A  BIBLIOGRAPHIC  STUDY      315 

MESMERISM  IN  ARTICULO  MORTIS.  An  astounding  and 
horrifying  narrative,  showing  the  extraordinary  power 
of  mesmerism  in  arresting  the  Progress  of  Death.  By 
Edgar  A.  Poe,  Esq.,  of  New  York.  London :  Short  &  Co. 
1846.  8  King  St.  Bloomsbury.  Price  three  pence. 

It  was  with  reference  to  this  tale  that  an  apothecary, 
who  lived  in  Stonehaven,  Scotland,  wrote  Poe  inquiring  as 
to  the  authenticity  of  the  story.  His  letters  were  given  in 
extenso  in  the  "Virginia  Poe,"  although,  at  that  time,  Poe's 
answer,  which  completed  the  correspondence,  had  not  been 
found. 

It  was  to  this  letter  that  Poe  referred  when  he  wrote  to 
Duyckinck : 

By  the  enclosed  letter  from  Stonehaven,  Scotland,  you  will  see  that 
The  Valdemar  Case'  still  makes  a  talk,  and  that  a  pamphlet  edition 
of  it  has  been  published  by  Short  and  Co.  of  London  under  the  title  of 
'Mesmerism  in  Articulo  Mortis.'  It  has  fairly  gone  the  rounds  of  the 
London  Press,  commencing  with  The  Morning  Post.'  The  Monthly 
Record  of  Science'  etc.  gives  it  with  the  title  The  Last  Days  of  M. 
Valdimir,  by  the  author  of  a  Somnambule.'  My  object  in  enclosing 
the  Scotch  letter  and  the  one  from  Miss  Barrett,  is  to  ask  you  to  do 
me  a  favor  which  (just  at  this  moment)  may  be  of  great  importance. 
It  is,  to  make  a  paragraph  or  two  for  some  one  of  the  city  papers. 

For  many  years  this  answer  of  Poe's  had  been  lost,  and 
the  finding  of  it  was  the  result  of  a  search  instituted  be 
cause  the  Stonehaven  letters  had  been  found  among  Gris- 
wold's  possessions.  It  is  this  letter  I  was  fortunate  enough 
to  find.  It  completes  the  Ramsay  correspondence. 

This  inquiry  and  Poe's  answer,  with  the  concluding 
Ramsay  letter,  as  a  specimen  of  "Scotch  density,"  is  worth 
recording. 

Stonehaven,  Scotland, 

Nov.  30  1846. 

Sir:  As  a  believer  in  Mesmerism  I  respectfully  take  the  liberty  of 
addressing  you  to  know  if  a  pamphlet  lately  published  in  London  by 
Short  &  Co.,  Bloomsbury)  under  the  authority  of  your  name  &  en 
titled  Mesmerism,  in  Articulo- Mortis,  is  genuine. 

It  details  an  acc't  of  some  most  extraordinary  circumstances,  con- 


316      POE:  A  BIBLIOGRAPHIC  STUDY 

nected  with  the  death  of  a  M.  Valdemar  under  mesmeric  influence 
by  you.  Hoax  has  been  most  emphatically  pronounced  upon  the  pam 
phlet  by  all  who  have  seen  it  here,  &  for  for  the  sake  of  the  Science  &  of 
truth  a  note  from  you  will  oblige. 

In  behalf  of  the  Science, 

Your  very  obt.  Svt. 

Arch  Ramsay. 
To  Edgar  A.  Poe,  Esq., 

New  York. 
Please  address  A.  Ramsay, 

Stonehaven,  Scotland. 

New  York 

December  30.  46. 

Dear  Sir:  Hoax  is  precisely  the  word  suited  to  M.  Valdemar's  case. 
The  story  appeared  originally  in  'The  American  Review/  a  Monthly 
Magazine,  published  in  this  city.  The  London  papers,  commencing 
with  the  'Morning  Post'  and  the  'Popular  Record  of  Science,'  took 
up  the  theme.  The  article  was  generally  copied  in  England  and  is  now 
circulating  in  France.  Some  few  persons  believe  it — but  /  do  not — 
and  do'nt  you. 

Very  Resp: 
Yr  ob.  St. 

Edgar  A.  Poe. 

P.S.  I  have  some  relatives,  I  think,  in  Stonehaven,  of  the  name  of 
Allen,  who  again  are  connected  with  the  Aliens  and  Gaits  of  Kilmar- 
nock.  My  name  is  Edgar  Allan  Poe.  Do  you  know  any  of  them?  If  so, 
and  it  would  not  put  you  to  too  much  trouble,  I  would  take  it  as  a 
favor  if  you  could  give  me  some  account  of  the  family. 

To  A.  Ramsay  Esq.. 

Stonehaven,  Kincardinshire,  Scotland 
14  April,  1847. 

Dear  Sir, — I  was  duly  honored  with  your  kind  favor  of  the  30  Deer 
last  &  have  to  apologize  for  my  ingratitude  in  not  sooner  returning  my 
best  thanks  for  the  trouble  you  had  taken  in  replying  to  my  enquiry 
regarding  the  case  of  M.  Valdemar  but  I  delayed  from  time  to  time  in 
expectation  of  beint  able  to  find  out  the  parties  you  enquire  about  of 
the  name  of  Allan.  I  am  however  sorry  to  say  that  all  my  endeavors 
have  been  in  vain, 

There  are  a  good  number  of  the  name  here  &  hereabout,  &  I  have 
made  inquiry  of  all  of  them  I  could  find  but  none  of  them  appear  to 
be  connected  with  the  families  or  the  place  you  mention. 

If  you  can  give  me  any  other  clue  by  which  they  might  be  traced  I 
shall  be  most  happy  to  do  anything  in  my  power  to  find  them. 

The  Pamphlet  on  Vademar  is  published  in  your  name  as  the  sole 


r     • 

'Vrw   ^vvtrvr- 


^D        & 


7 
,29V 


- 


\) 


POE:  A  BIBLIOGRAPHIC  STUDY      317 

conductor  &  operator  in  the  case  so  I  thought  you  could  at  once  affirm 
or  deny  it,  but  from  the  tenor  of  your  letter  to  me  this  appears  not  to 
be  the  fact. 

I  am  Dear  Sir 

Very  Respectfully 

Your  Much  obliged  &  obdt  Svt 
Arch  Ramsay 
Druggist 

Another  important  contribution  to  the  "American  Re 
view"  for  December,  1847  was  Ulalume.  When  it  was 
written,  or  how  long  it  had  been  laid  away,  is  not  certain. 
Poe  apparently  hesitated  to  publish  it.  A  Miss  Ingram, 
recalling  a  meeting  with  Poe,  says : 

He  recited  The  Raven,  Annabel  Lee,  and  last  of  all  Ulalume,  with  the 
last  stanza  of  which  he  remarked  that  he  feared  it  might  not  be  intel 
ligible  to  us,  as  it  was  scarcely  intelligible  to  himself  and,  for  that 
reason,  had  not  been  published. 

In  a  letter  to  the  same  lady  Poe  wrote: 

I  have  transcribed  Ulalume  but  I  fear  you  will  find  the  verses 
scarcely  more  intelligible  today  in  my  manuscript  than  last  night  in 
my  recitation.  I  would  endeavor  to  explain  to  you  what  I  really  meant 
— or  what  I  fancied  I  meant,  by  the  poem,  if  it  were  not  that  I  re 
membered  Dr.  Johnson's  bitter  remarks  about  the  folly  of  explaining 
what,  if  worth  explanation,  would  explain  itself.  He  has  a  happy  wit 
ticism,  too,  about  some  book,  which  he  calls  'as  obscure  as  an  ex 
planatory  note.' 

As  to  the  morbid  mental  state  that  inspired  the  com 
position  of  Ulalume,  and  as  to  Poe's  method,  I  quote 
Woodberry : 

It  is  built  out  of  the  refrain,  the  most  difficult  mode  of  construction, 
and  consequently  it  requires  in  the  reader  not  only  a  willingness  to 
accept  monotony  as  a  means  of  expression,  but  a  content  with  it ;  the 
thought  moves  so  slowly,  with  such  difficult  increments  of  meaning 
and  indistinguishable  deepening  of  tone,  that,  like  an  expiring  mind, 
it  just  only  keeps  wearily  in  action.  .  .  .  For  these  and  other  reasons 
the  sympathetic  mood  without  which  no  such  poem  is  comprehended, 
must  be  of  rare  occurrence  in  this  case ;  but  if  ever  that  mood  comes, — 
that  physical  exhaustion  and  mental  gloom  and  dreaming  upon  the 
dark,  in  which  the  modes  of  expression  in  this  poem  are  identical  with 
those  of  nature  .  .  .  this  poem  may  well  seem  the  language  of  a 
spirit  sunk  in  blank  and  moaning  despair,  and  at  every  move  beaten 
back  hopelessly  on  himself.  It  was  written  at  the  period  of  Poe's 


1847.]  Ulalume:  A  Ballad.  599 


TO 

I-LALUME:    A    BALLAD. 

THE  slties  they  were  ashen  and  sober ; 

The  leaves  they  were  crisped  and  sere— 

The  leaves  they  were  withering  and  sere ; 
It  was  night  in  the  lonesome  October 

Of  my  most  immemorial  year ; 
It  was  hard  by  the  dim  lake  of  Anber, 

In  the  misty  mid  region  of  Weir- 
It  was  down  by  the  dank  tarn  of  Auber, 

In  the  ghoul-haunted  woodland  of  Weir 

Here  once,  through  an  alley  Titanic, 

Of  cypress,  I  roamed  with  my  Soul — 
Of  cypress,  with  Psyche,  my  Soul. 

These  were  days  when  my  heart  was  volcanic 
As  the  scoriae  rivers  that  roll — 
As  the  lavas  that  restlessly  roll 

Their  sulphurous  currents  down  Yaanek 
In  the  ultimate  climes  of  the  pole — 

That  groan  as  they  roll  down  Mount  Yaanek 
In  the  realms  of  the  boreal  pole. 

Our  talk  had  been  serious  and  sober, 

But  our  thoughts  they  were  palsied  and  sere— 
Our  memories  were  treacherous  and  sere— 
For  we  knew  not  the  month  was  October, 

And  we  marked  not  the  night  of  the  year — 
(Ah,  night  of  all  nights  in  the  year !) 
We  noted  not  the  dim  lake  of  Auber — 

(Though  once  we  had  journeyed  down  here)— 
We  remembered  not  the  dank  tarn  of  Auber, 
Nor  the  ghoul-haunted  woodland  of  Weir. 

And  now,  as  the  night  was  senescent 
And  star-dials  pointed  to  morn — 
As  the  star-dials  hinted  of  morn— 

At  the  end  of  our  path  a  liquescent 
And  nebulous  lustre  was  born, 

Out  of  which  a  miraculous  crescent 
Arose  with  a  duplicate  horn— 

Astarte's  bediamonded  crescent 

Distinct  with  its  duplicate  horn. 

And  I  said — "  She  is  warmer  than  Dian : 
She  rolls  through  an  ether  of  sighs — 
She  revels  in  a  region  of  sighs : 
She  has  seen  that  the  tears  are  not  dry  on 

These  cheeks,  where  the  worm  never  dies, 
And  has  come  past  the  stars  of  the.  Lion 
To  point  us  the  path  to  the  skies — 
To  the  Lethean  peace  of  the  skies — 
Come  up,  in  despite  of  the  Lion, 

To  shine  on  us  with  her  bright  eyes- 
Come  up  through  the  lair  of  the  Lion 

With  Love  in  her  luminous  eyes,** 
TOL.  TL — NO.  VL  39 


000  Ulalume:  A  Ballad.  [Deo., 

But  Psyche,  uplifting  her  finger, 

Said—"  Sadly  this  star  I  mistrust— 

Her  pallor  I  strangely  mistrust : — 
Oh,  hasten !— oh,  let  us  not  linger ! 

Oh,  fly !— let  us  fly  !— for  we  must." 
In  terror  she  spoke,  letting  sink  her 

Wings  till  they  trailed  in  the  dust — 
In  agony  sobbed,  letting  sink  her 

Plumes  till  they  trailed  in  the  dust — . 

Till  they  sorrowfully  trailed  in  the  dust. 

I  replied-—"  This  is  nothing  but  dreaming : 

Let  us  on  by  this  tremulous  light ! 

Let  us  bathe  in  this  crystalline  light ! 
Its  Sybillic  splendor  is  beaming 

With  Hope  and  in  Beauty  to-night : — 

See ! — it  flickers  up  the  sky  through  the  night ! 
Ah,  we  safely  may  trust  to  its  gleaming, 

And  be  sure  it  will  lead  us  aright — 
We  safely  may  trust  to  a  gleaming 

That  cannot  but  guide  us  aright, 

Since  it  flickers  up  to  Heaven  through  the  night." 

Thus  I  pacified  Psyche  and  kissed  her, 
And  tempted  her  out  of  her  gloom — 
And  conquered  her  scruples  and  gloom : 

And  we  passed  to  the  end  of  the  vista, 

And  were  stopped  by  the  door  of  a  tomb— 
By  the  door  of  a  legeuded  tomb ; 

And  I  said — "  What  is  written,  sweet  sister, 
On  the  door  of  this  legended  tomb  ?" 

She  replied — "  Ulalume — Ulalume — 

Tis  the  vault  of  thy  lost  Ulalume  !'* 

Then  my  Tieaft  it  grew7  ashen  and  sober 

As  the  leaves  that  were  crisped  and  seie— 

As  the  leaves  that  were  withering  and  sere, 
And  I  cried — "  It  was  surely  October 

On  this  very  night  of  last  year 

That  I  journeyed — I  journeyed  down  here — 

That  I  brought  a  dread  burden  down  here — 

On  this  night  of  all  nights  in  the  year, 

Oh.  what  demon  has  tempted  me  here  ? 
Well  I  know,  now  this  dim  lake  of  Auber-— 

This  misty  mid  region  of  Weir — 
Well  I  know,  now,  this  dank  tarn  of  Auber, 

In  the  ghoul-haunted  woodland  of  Weir." 

Said  we,  then — the  two,  then — "  Ah,  can  it 

Have  been  that  the  woodlandish  ghouls— 

The  pitiful,  the  merciful  ghouls — 
To  bar  up  our  way  and  to  ban  it 

From  the  secret  that  lies  in  these  wolds — 

From  the  thing  that  lies  hidden  in  these  wolds—' 
Had  drawn  up  the  spectre  of  a  planet 

From  the  limbo  of  lunary  souls— 
This  sinfully  scintillant  planet 

From  the  Hell  of  the  planetary  souls  ?" 


320      POE:  A  BIBLIOGRAPHIC  STUDY 

lowest  physical  exhaustion.  .  .  .  It  is  more  than  likely  that  the  lack 
of  finish  in  conjunction  with  the  justness  of  touch  in  its  essential 
structure,  we  have  in  this  poem  the  most  spontaneous,  the  most  un 
mistakably  genuine  utterance  of  Poe,  the  most  clearly  self  portraying 
work  of  his  hand. 

Poe's  own  criticism  of  this  poem  is  given  in  a  letter  to 
Willis: 

My  Dear  Willis: — I  send  you  an  "American  Review"  in  which  is  a 
ballad  by  myself,  but  published  anonymously.  It  is  called  Ulalume — 
the  page  is  turned  down.  I  do  not  care  to  be  known  as  its  author  just 
now,  but  I  would  take  it  as  a  great  favor  if  you  would  copy  it  in  the 
H.  J.  with  a  word  of  inquiry  as  to  who  wrote  it ; — provided  always  that 
you  think  the  poem  worthy  the  room  it  would  occupy  in  your  paper — 
a  matter  about  which  I  am  no  way  sure. 

I  do  not  believe  that  Ulalume  was  the  result  of  a  delib 
erate  attempt  at  composition;  rather,  as  Poe  himself 
expressed  it,  "the  words  were  actually  present  to  me/* 
Composed  entirely  of  rhythm  and  of  words  whose  import 
was  intended  to  appeal  only  to  a  soul  overburdened  with 
woe,  no  poem  was  ever  written  comparable  with  it ;  if  so, 
"it  died  in  the  borning." 

THE  BROADWAY  JOURNAL. 

Volume    I.  January  to  June,  1845 
Volume  II.  June  to  January  (3),  1846 

As  far  as  my  own  copy  goes,  this  is  all  the  information  I 
have.  I  can  find  no  title  page  nor  table  of  contents.  These 
usually  follow  at  the  end  of  the  year  but,  in  this  case,  it  is 
probable  that  the  end  of  the  "Journal"  seemed  so  near  that 
such  matters  were  considered  useless  effort.  None  of  Poe's 
bibliographers  seem  to  be  in  possession  of  all  the  facts. 
Harrison  says:  "Its  collapse  was  announced  the  day  after 
Christmas.  ...  A  final  number,  dated  January  3,  is  said 
to  have  been  issued  under  the  editorship  of  Thomas  Dunn 
English."  There  certainly  was  an  issue  of  January  3,  con 
taining  Poe's  valedictory :  but  Harrison  is  mistaken  in  his 


THE  BROADWAY  JOURNAL. 


VOL.  1.  NEW  YORK,  SATURDAY,  JANUARY  4,  1845.  N°  1. 


TVwfi,  tcfuthtr  t»«r  <Wf  If  fatten,  ft  At  mtauu-t  of  Icnovltdgt  and  tit  b*ti- 


•Mf  or  rccc*r»t*dtd  bytariity,unotJ>t<ifb*t  igforcaut,  or  iontM«f  vonr. 

LOOTS. 


INTRODUCTORY. 

There  is  bat  one  way  of  coming  into  the  world,  says  Dean 
Swift,  although  there  are  a  great  many  ways  of  going  out  of  it, 
and  we  wish  there  were  but  one  way  of  coming  before  the  pub 
lic  in  a  newspaper  for  the  first  time  ;  that  we  might  be  spar 
ed  Ihe  possibility  of  a  blunder  in  our  first  appearance,  by  fol 
lowing  in  the  line  of  safe  precedents.  But  since  we  ace  left 
to  our  own  discretion,  and  have  no  kind  friend  to  take  us  by 
the  hand  and  present  us  to  our  dear  friend,  the  Public,  we 
will  tell  our  own  story  as  shortly  as  possible. 

It  is  not  improbable  that  somebody  may  object  to  our 
name,  and  exclaim  with  Milton's  Stall-reader,- 

Ble»u*,w)uttawoidoa 
A  title  p«ge  Ittttto! 

but  we  have  chosen  it  for  the  sake  of  individuality.sndbecauseit 
is  indigenous,  and  furthermore  is  indicative  of  the  spirit  which 
we  intend  shall  characterise  our  paper.  Broadway  is  confess 
edly  the  finest  street  in  the  first  city  of  the  New  World.  It  is 
the  great  artery  through  which  flows  the  best  blood  of  our  sys 
tem.  All  the  elegance  of  our  continent  permeates  through  it. 
If  there  is  a  handsome  equipage  set  up,  its  first  appearance  is 
made  in  Broadway.  The  most  elegant  shops  in  the  Cityline 
its;  sides  ;  the  finest  buildings  are  found  there,  and  all  fash 
jons  exhibit  their  first  gloss  upon  its  sidewalks.. .  Although 
it  has  a  character  of  its  own,  the  traveller  often  forgets  him 
self  in  walking  through  it.  and  imagines  himself  in  London 
or  Paris.  Wall  street  pours  its  wealth  into  its  broad  chan 
nel,  and  all  the  dealers  in  intellectual  works  are  here  center 
ed  ;  every  exhibition  of  art  is  found  here,  and  the  largest  car- 
avanseries  in  the  world  border  upon  it.  Its  pavement  has 
been  trod  by  every  distinguished  man  that  has  visited  our 
continent.;  those  who  travel  through  it  are  refreshed  by  the 
most  magnificent  fountains  in  the  world.  It  has  a  sunny 
side  too,  where  we  have  opened  our  office  of  delivery.  It  ter 
minates  at  one  end  in  the  finest  square  in  the  city,  doubtless  in 
the  Union,  and  at  the  other  in  the  Battery,  unrivalled  for  its 
entire  beauty,  by  any  marine  parade  in  the  world.  So  travellers 
say.  For  ourselves,  we  have  seen  many  in  the  old  world 
and  the  new,  but  none  that  equal  it.  As  Paris  is  France, 
and  London,  England;  so  is  Broadway,  New  York;  and 
New  York  is  fast  becoming,  if  she  be  not  already,  America, 
in  spite  of  South  Carolina  and  Boston. 

We  have  little  hope  of  making  our  paper  among  other 
journals,  what  Broadway  is  among  other  streets,  but  we 
shall  do  what  we  can  to  render  it  i§  some  degree  worthy  of 
the  name  that  we  have  given  it.  We  are  fully  aware  that 
"  we  have  a  reasonable  quantity  of  giants"  to  encounter  in  our 
undertaking,  and  that  we  have  to  rely  more  upon  good  inten 
tions  than  good  weapons  to  overcome  them,  but  it  must  be  an 
unreasonably  tall  giant  that  shall  overcome  our  perseverance 
in  the  end. 

In  the  conduct  of  our  paper  we  shall  follow  the  advice  oflso- 
crates  to  his  pupils,  and  "  study  the  people,"  but  rather  with  a 


view  to  profif  them  than  ourselves.  We  have  a  prodigious  re 
spect  for  the  people,  tempered  with  no  small  amount  of  love, 
but  we  think  with  Falstaff, "  that  either  well-bearing,  or  igno 
rant  carriage,  is  caught^  as  men  take  diseases,  one  of  anoth- 
er;  therefore  it  is  well  to  take  heed  of  our  company ;"  and 
we  shall  chose  rather  to  talk  to  the  people  than  with  them. 
We  do  not  arrogate  to  ourselves  the  character  of  a  reformer; 
yet  we  hope  to  reform  some  of  the  abuses  which  we  some* 
times  hear  spoken  of  as  existing  among  us.  The  husband* 
man  who  never  pulls  up  a  weed  in  his  garden. can  never 
hope  to  see  them  all  removed  from  his  enclosures. 

We  shall  endeavor  to  make  our  paper  entirely  original,— 
and,  instead  of  the  effefe  vapors  of  English  Magazines, 
which  have  heretofore  been  the  chief  filling  of  our  weekly 
journals,  give  such  homely  thoughts  as  may  be  generated 
among  us ;  and  if  our  columns  do  not  smack  of  home,  it 
will  be  because  "  our  spirits  have  been  so  married  in  coo* 
junction  with  the  participation  of  foreign  society,"  that  we 
cannot  procure  a  divorce. 

As  we  are  entirely  disconnected  with  any  of  the  traders 
in  literature,  and  have  no  personal  friends  among  our  liter- 
ary  producers,— saving  an  illustrious  name  or  two,  in  Mr. 
Griswold's  Pantheon— we  have  no  inducements  to  indulge 
in  the  luxury  of  puffing ;  but, we  entertain  so  kindly  a  feel 
ing  towards  the  whole  brood  of  unfortunates,  called  Ameri 
can  authors,  that  we  can  never  find  it  in  our  hearts  to  utter 
an  ill  word  of  them,  or  to  treat  them  otherwise  than  with 
honest  candor. 

Although  our  daily  and  weekly  press  often  contain  admir 
able  criticisms  on  literature  and  art,  with  the  spirit  of  a 
quarterly  review  compressed  into  the  limits  of  a  half  column, 
yet  these  are  rather  accidental  than  a  general  rule,  and  the 
public,  in  many  cases,  must  submit  to  the  actual  cautery  of 
buying  and  reading  a  new  book  before  they  can  judge  of  its 
quality.  There  are  too  many  good  things  to  be  had  for 
time  and  money,  to  waste  these  precious  commodities  on 
uncertain  productions.  A  sixpence  worth  of  honest  criti-- 
cism  will  often  save  a  dollar,  or  an  hour,  from  being  mis 
spent. 

We  shall  devote  a  good  part  of  our  columns  to  the  inter 
ests  of  American  Art ;  especially  to  Painting  and  Architec 
ture, — and  shall  give  specimens  of  American  designs,  in 
both  departments,  as  often  as  they  can  be  procured  of  suffi 
cient  merit  to  entitle  them  to  notice. 

The  Lecture  room,  the  Concert,  and  the  Theatre,  will  all 
be  dealt  with ;  and  though  we  hoist  the  signal  of  no  politi 
cal  party,  we  shall  dabble  in  politics  when  there  is  any  thing 
in  the  wind  worth  heeding. 

As  the  refinement  of  modern  times  has  given  birth  to  a 
ladies'  literature,  which,  out  of  compliment  to  the  sex  is 
made  as  unmeaning  as  possible,  we  shall  so  far  conform  to 
the  complexion  of  the  times  as  to  have  a  LADIES'  LEAF, 
wherein  we  shall  do  our  best  to  be  very  lady-like  and  inno 
cent.  We  can  promise  all,  both  ladies  and  gentlemen,  that 
we  shall  raise  no  blushes  on  the  cheek  of  modesty,  because 
modest  people  are  not  easily  put  out  of  countenance ;  but 
the  salacious  and  foul-minded  are  always  changing  colour. 
Our  pea  has  two  ends  to  it,  and  if  we  sometimes  fail  to 


322      POE:  A  BIBLIOGRAPHIC  STUDY 

statement  that  it  was  in  the  issue  of  December  26.  There 
was  no  issue  on  this  date,  December  27  being  the  last  issue 
for  the  year  1845.  It  was  numbered  25  and  the  final  copy 
for  January  3,  1846,  was  numbered  26.  It  still  carried 
under  its  title  the  words,  "Edgar  A.  Poe,  Editor  and  Pro 
prietor."  It  made  no  reference  to  English,  but  it  did  contain 
his  Poem  "Azthene."  Poe  contributed  nothing  except  this 
farewell:  "Unexpected  engagements  demanding  my  whole 
attention,  and  the  objects  being  fulfilled,  so  far  as  regards 
myself  personally,  for  which  The  Broadway  Journal'  was 
established,  I  now,  as  its  editor,  bid  farewell — as  cordially 
to  foes  as  to  friends. — Edgar  A.  Poe." 

For  just  what  purpose  the  "Journal"  was  established  I 
have  been  unable  to  ascertain,  further  than  the  statement 
in  the  prospectus  signed  by  John  Briscoe  that: 

The  'Broadway  Journal'  will  differ  from  any  of  the  weekly  Period 
icals  now  published  in  this  city,  and  it  will  be  made  up  entirely  of 
original  matter  consisting  of  Essays,  Criticisms  on  Art  and  Literature, 
Domestic  and  Foreign  Correspondence,  and  Literary  and  Scientific 
Intelligence. 

In  the  early  numbers  Briscoe  signed  his  name  publisher, 
and  mentions  no  editor,  although  it  is  known  that  Briggs 
was  associated  with  him  in  that  capacity.  The  number 
issued  on  March  10  contained  the  first  public  announce 
ment  connecting  Poe,  or  other  editors,  with  the  "Journal" : 
"C.  F.  Briggs,  Edgar  A.  Poe,  and  C.  H.  Watson,  Editors." 
The  first  issue  was  dated  January  4,  1845.  Briggs  thus 
explained  Poe's  connection  with  the  "Journal,"  which  was 
not  officially  announced  till  the  eighth  number,  although 
it  had  contained  many  Poe  contributions : 

Poe  is  an  assistant  to  me,  and  will  in  no  manner  interfere  with  my 
own  way  of  doing  things.  It  was  requisite  that  I  should  have  his  or 
some  other  person's  assistance,  on  account  of  my  liability  to  be  taken 
off  from  the  business  of  the  paper,  and  as  his  name  is  of  some  authority 
I  thought  it  advisable  to  announce  him  as  an  Editor. 

Again  Briggs  wrote  Lowell : 

I  thought  it  best  to  gain  Poe's  services  as  a  critic  because  he  always 


POE:  A  BIBLIOGRAPHIC  STUDY      323 

had  a  reputation  for  reviewing,  and  I  could  gain  them  by  allowing  him 
a  certain  portion  of  the  profits  of  the  paper.  .  .  .  Poe's  fol-de-rol 
about  plagiarism  I  do  not  like,  but  the  replies  which  it  provokes  serve 
us  as  advertisements,  and  help  us  along.  As  he  dealt  more  severely  by 
me  and  my  friend  Aldrich  than  anybody  else  I  do  not  think  anybody 
has  any  right  to  complain  about  his  thumps.  I  think  that  you  are  too 
sensitive  in  regard  to  Longfellow ;  I  really  do  not  see  that  he  has  said 
anything  offensive  about  him  ....  Poe  has  indeed  a  very  high  ad 
miration  for  Longfellow,  and  so  will  he  say  before  he  is  done.  .  .  . 
The  Rev.  Mr.  Griswold  told  me  some  abominable  lies  about  him,  but 
a  personal  acquaintance  with  him  has  induced  me  to  think  highly  of 
him.  Perhaps  some  Philadelphian  has  been  whispering  foul  things  in 
your  ear  about  him.  Doubtless  his  sharp  manners  have  made  him 
many  enemies.  But  you  will  think  better  of  him  when  you  meet  him. 

Evidently  the  "Journal"  was  not  a  financial  success  and 
there  was  a  serious  misunderstanding  between  Briscoe  and 
Briggs,  which  resulted  in  the  displacement  of  Briggs. 
Watson  and  Poe  constituted  the  editorial  staff.  Briggs' 
connection  ended  with  the  issue  of  June  28,  completing 
Volume  I .  The  "Journal"  did  not  appear  the  following  week, 
the  delay  being  due  to  this  editorial  change.  Number  one 
of  the  second  volume  made  its  appearance  on  July  12,  still 
under  the  management  of  Briscoe. 

On  October  25,  Poe  assumed  full  control  and  announced 
himself  "Editor  and  Proprietor,"  and,  for  the  first  and 
only  time,  he  attained  the  ambition  of  his  life.  But  his 
fruiting  season  was  passed  as  far  as  invention  and  ideation 
were  concerned :  his  powers  were  slowly  waning,  and  con 
tentious  criticism  and  captious  judgments  replaced  his 
severe  but  just  estimates. 

Apparently  Poe's  first  contribution,  after  association, 
was  another  onslaught  on  "Outis,"  and,  incidentally,  on 
Longfellow.  This  he  continued  in  the  two  following  num 
bers,  March  15  and  22,  concluding  his  criticisms  in  the 
first  April  number,  apparently  for  the  reason  that  he  could 
elicit  no  answer. 

Who  was  "Out is?" 

Poe  contributed  many  reviews.  More  than  sixty,  with 


324      POE:  A  BIBLIOGRAPHIC  STUDY 

several  essays,  have  been  attributed  to  him.  That  they 
brought  little  financial  gain  is  indicated  in  a  letter  he 
wrote  to  his  friend  Thomas. 

And  yet,  Thomas,  I  have  made  no  money.  I  am  as  poor  now  as  I  ever 
was  in  my  life — except  in  hope,  which  is  by  no  means  bankable.  I  have 
taken  a  third  interest  in  the  'Broadway  Journal,'  and  for  everything 
I  have  written  for  it  I  have  been  of  course  so  much  out  of  pocket.  In 
the  end  it  will  pay  me  well — at  least  the  prospects  are  good. 

In  addition  to  these  reviews  and  essays,  Poe  republished 
many  of  his  tales  and  poems,  so  that  'The  Journal"  be 
came  a  depository  for  his  final  revision. 
Harrison  says : 

His  new  papers  were,  for  the  most  part,  hack-work  articles  on 
anastatic  printing,  street  paving,  magazine  literature,  etc.,  etc.  He 
also  utilized  passages  from  old  book  reviews  by  incorporating  them  in 
new  notices. 

The  short  lived  'Broadway  Journal'  enabled  him  to  revise  and 
reprint,  generally  in  more  finished  form,  nearly  everything  that  he  had 
produced.  He  has  been  bitterly  reproached  and  sneered  at  by  persons 
who  should  have  known  better,  whose  own  search  for  imperfection  is 
directly  the  reverse  of  Poe's  continual  search  for  perfection. 

Poe's  other  contributions  to  The  Journal'  during  the  time  that 
he  had  a  third  interest,  were  plentiful  but  not  fresh.  The  very  early, 
grotesque,  Peter  Snook  and  the  long  rejected  tale  The  Premature 
Burial,  of  which  no  earlier  publication  is  found  were  the  freshest 
stories. 

Both  the  Literati  and  the  Marginalia,  published  about 
this  time,  were  compiled  from  various  reviews  long  before 
printed.  While  in  many  instances  they  were  recast,  they 
contain  nothing  original. 

Probably  the  market  for  anything  bearing  Poe's  name 
now  was  good  because  of  the  great  reputation  The 
Raven  had  given  him:  the  misfortune  was  that  no  ca 
pacity  for  supplying  this  demand  was  left.  That  Poe  fully 
appreciated  his  opportunity  is  certain.  He  wrote  to  Thomas: 

I  send  you  an  early  copy  of  the  'B.  Journal'  containing  my  Raven. 
It  was  copied  by  Briggs,  my  associate,  before  I  joined  the  paper.  The 
Raven  has  had  a  great  'run,'  Thomas, — but  I  wrote  it  for  the  express 
purpose  of  running — just  as  I  did  the  Gold  Bug.  The  bird  beat  the  bug, 
though,  all  hollow. 


Q/l  <$)  cvw,  net 

to    * 


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teJOAQH/, 

J  0  vutfl^oMu/  '  &n      tl 

•  U 


,       .- 

ll     CLOTT^   Qhis/w 


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ej  wtv*th,     J 


T,  <C  eWL> 

CL 


326      POE:  A  BIBLIOGRAPHIC  STUDY 

After  Poe  failed  in  his  journal,  he  did  not  cease  in  his 
effort  to  establish  a  new  magazine,  but  necessity  or  sickness 
for  awhile  forced  him  to  rest,  or  to  write  only  those  things 
that  may  be  classed  as  restatements  either  of  literary 
opinions  or  of  other  subjects  already  published.  He  contri 
buted  three  of  his  Marginalia  to  "Graham's"  and  his 
Literati  to  ''Godey's,"  together  with  a  few  reviews.  After 
this  period  his  magazine  work  practically  ceased. 

There  were  a  few  new  magazines  to  which  Poe  made  un 
important  contributions. 

COLUMBIAN  LADY'S  AND  GENTLEMAN'S  MAGAZINE,  Em 
bracing  Literature  in  Every  Department:  Embellished 
with  the  finest  Mezzotint  Engravings,  Music  and  Col 
ored  Fashions.  Edited  by  John  Inman. 

Volumes  I  and  II.  1844 
Volumes  III  and  IV.  1845 
Volumes  V  and  VI.  1846 
Volumes  VII  and  VIII.  1847 

Scattered  through  various  numbers,  several  known  Poe 
contributions  are  to  be  found.  How  many  there  are,  not 
identified,  is,  at  best,  guess-work. 

Mesmeric  Revelation,  published  in  August,  1844,  again 
deals  with  hypnotism  which,  for  over  a  century,  had  been 
a  matter  of  great  scientific  interest  and  medical  research, 
but  which  is  still  encumbered  with  so  much  charlatanism 
that  its  real  value  as  a  therapeutic  measure  is  not  yet  fully 
comprehended.  It  has  been  exhibited  under  so  many  forms, 
and  it  has  been  so  frequently  misnamed,  that  its  actual 
power  is  not  generally  understood,  nor  have  all  of  its 
capabilities  been  recognized.  First  prominently  exploited 
by  Mesmer,  its  efficacy  was  not  denied  by  the  commission 
appointed  by  the  Academy  of  Medicine  of  Paris,  on  which 
our  own  Franklin  served.  Their  report  is  one  of  my  most 


POE:  A  BIBLIOGRAPHIC  STUDY      327 

valued — if  not  valuable — bibliographical  treasures.  While 
not  denying  its  utility,  their  explanation  entirely  freed  it 
from  the  gross  and  superstitious  beliefs,  and  the  electrical 
reactions  that  had  been  supposed  to  be  the  basis  of  its 
curative  value,  and  they  demonstrated  that  it  was  the 
mind  itself,  and  no  extraneous  influences  or  surroundings, 
that  produced  the  hypnotic  trance.  Nor  was  this  subject 
one  of  recent  manifestation  although,  for  the  first  time,  it 
came  under  reputable  and  scientific  investigation.  The 
subject  is  one  of  the  oldest  with  which  our  historical  annals 
deal.  From  the  time  that  Saul  consulted  the  Witch  of 
Endor  and  was  impressed  with  the  belief  that  he  had 
visioned  Samuel,  down  to  the  "Christ  Cures,"  and  the 
Omphalists  who,  by  fixedly  gazing  at  their  navels  were 
thrown  into  trances  in  which  they  communicated  with 
God-head  exhibiting  many  hysterical  manifestations,  as 
well  as  the  various  legends  of  Saints  with  their  shrine  cures, 
and  other  supernatural  middle-age  marvels,  have  these 
same  psychological  phenomena  been  exhibited.  The  mani 
festations  of  this  power  were  not  confined  to  the  Dark  Ages: 
the '  'Kingly  Touch, ' *  Kenelm  Digby 's '  'Weapon  Salve, ' '  the 
"Strange  Cures"of  Greatrak's,  with  his  hypnotized  oak  tree 
and  the  "Metallic  Tractors"  of  Perkins,  are  only  a  few 
of  the  hundreds  of  recorded  and  certified  methods  of  cure. 
Nor  is  this  power  a  matter  of  past  centuries.  It  never 
flourished  more  vigorously  than  at  the  present  time.  The 
shrine  of  Our  Lady  of  Lourdes  still  cures  its  thousands; 
even  reproductions  of  this  grotto  are  efficacious  where  faith 
is  sufficiently  strong.  Christ's  demand  for  "faith,"  is  a 
necessary  prerequisite  to  such  cures.  The  homeopathic 
craze  has  subdivided  into  many  cults,  all  of  which  have 
their  devoted  followers.  Christian  Science  is  the  latest 
development  of  this  belief,  but,  like  all  others,  it  will 
have  its  day  and  pass  into  "innocuous  dessuetude."  Nor 
is  the  practice  of  medicine,  in  its  most  regular  form,  free 


328      POE:  A  BIBLIOGRAPHIC  STUDY 

from  this  influence;  it  frequently  happens  that  it  is 
the  physician  who  prescribes  the  drug,  not  the  drug 
prescribed,  which  effects  the  cure.  Medicine,  as  a  science, 
hardly  has  passed  its  twenty-first  birthday,  although  it  is 
now  on  a  solid  foundation  of  demonstrated  truth  which 
will  drag  it  out  of  the  mire  of  superstition.  For  the  first 
time  are  we  certain  of  the  cause  of  malaria,  typhoid  fever, 
diphtheria,  and  many  other  diseases,  and  the  proof  that  our 
knowledge  is  solidly  founded  is  that  we  have  been  able  to 
produce  preventative  serums.  That  we  have  not  been  able 
to  discover  the  particular  germ  of  every  disease  need  not 
be  a  matter  for  shame.  The  last  thirty  years  has  accom 
plished  more  than,  and  even  now  outmeasures  the  millions 
of  years  that  have  elapsed  without  any  medical  progress. 
Nor  are  our  regular  physicians  who  unconsciously  practice 
this  mesmeric  power  open  to  criticism.  The  public  is  a 
credulous  and  mentally  unbalanced  patient  that  could  not 
exist  without  some  hand-hold;  so  spineless  that  it  can 
not  stand  unaided.  It  does  not  yet  know  that  ninety  per 
cent  of  ordinary  ailments  would  recover  with  good  nursing 
and  without  medical  aid, — in  spite  of  the  fact  that  Chris 
tian  Science  is  setting  such  a  marvelous  curative  exhibi 
tion. 

Nor  can  the  influence  of  hypnotism,  with  its  varied  mani 
festations  be  measured  by  such  mental  phenomena  as  I  have 
mentioned.  A  more  mysterious  phenomenon,  as  ill  under 
stood  as  is  the  mind  itself,  demands  solution;  yet,  until  we 
understand  the  many  problems  still  unsolved  as  to  the 
brain  structure  and  cell  function  and  its  method  of  mani 
festing  the  power  of  cognition  and  sensory  perception,  no 
one  can  declare  with  certainty  its  method  of  comprehen 
sion  or  its  limits.  We  know  that  under  favorable  conditions 
"mediums"  develop  a  capacity  for  "introspection,"  but  to 
explain  this  is  the  merest  guesswork;  that  it  in  some 
way  involves  the  reading  of  our  own  minds — a  sixth  sense 


POE:  A  BIBLIOGRAPHIC  STUDY      329 

given  them,  which  ordinarily  they  do  not  possess,  satisfies 
me,  in  spite  of  the  fact  that  it  is  an  individual  opinion.  How 
ever  it  explains  nothing.  Very  few,  especially  after  hearing 
Sir  Oliver  Lodge's  own  explanation  of  his  belief,  follow  him 
into  its  complete  realization.  We  know  that  this  hypnotic 
sleep  is  the  basis  of  all  such  manifestations,  but  as  the 
mind  and  its  devious  meanderings  cannot  be  followed,  we 
cannot  hope  to  base  a  conclusion  till  we  can  discover  the 
psychological  foundation. 

While  "suggestion"  is  a  recognized  medical  procedure, 
we  know  little  more  about  it  than  did  those  who  investi 
gated  Mesmer.  Braid,  a  reputable  physician,  was  its 
greatest  exponent  in  America  during  the  last  century,  and 
undoubtedly  it  was  on  his  experiments  that  Poe  based  his 
Mesmeric  stories.  Poe's  discussion  of  this  subject  can  no 
more  be  argued  than  can  that  of  Lodge.  Both  have  the 
right  of  explanation  and  deduction  until  such  time  as  the 
cause  is  made  plain :  we  do  not  blame  our  old  time  medical 
teachers  because  they  taught  us  that  malarial  fever  and 
cholera  were  "miasmatic"  in  origin. 

In  the  October  issue  of  the  "Columbian,"  Poe's  story  The 
Angel  of  the  Odd — An  Extravaganza,  was  published.  It  is  a 
most  remarkable  anticipation  of  Freud  (by  some  pro 
nounced  Frauid,  others  omit  the  "i")  and  his  theories, 
and  it  is  not  for  me  to  attempt  its  analysis;  rather  for 
those  marvelous  "psycho-analysts,"  and  recent  novelists, 
now  so  volubly  contributing  to  a  theory  that  has  its  origin 
in  somnolence  and  its  explanation  in  the  quiescence  of 
mental  vacuity.  That  the  world  of  science  has  taken  notice 
of  a  psychological  problem  based  on  so  intangible  a  struc 
ture  as  the  dreams  that  come  to  us  in  sleep,  is  the  real 
mental  state  that  should  interest  us. 

In  the  December  number  Poe  wrote  a  brief  account  of 
the  love  scene  depicted  in  the  steel  engraving  of  Byron  and 
Miss  Chaworth  which  appeared  in  that  issue.  Poe  asserts : 


330      POE:  A  BIBLIOGRAPHIC  STUDY 

That  his  attachment  for  this  'Mary'  (in  whose  very  name  there 
indeed  seems  to  exist  an  'enchantment'  was  earnest  and  long  abiding, 
we  have  every  reason  to  believe.  There  are  a  hundred  evidences  of  this 
fact,  scattered  through  his  own  poems,  letters,  the  memoirs  of  his 
relatives  and  contemporaries  in  general.  ...  In  every  allusion  made 
by  the  author  of  'Childe  Harold'  to  his  passion  for  Mary  Chaworth, 
there  runs  a  vein  of  almost  spiritual  tenderness  and  purity,  strongly 
in  contrast  with  the  gross  earthliness  pervading  and  disfiguring  his 
ordinary  love-poems.  .  .  .  She  to  him  was  the  Egeria  of  his  dreams — 
the  Venus  Aphrodite  that  sprang,  in  full  and  supernal  loveliness,  from 
the  bright  foam  upon  the  storm  tormented  ocean  of  his  thoughts. 

In  March,  1847,  The  Domain  of  Arnheim — the  home  of 
the  Arn(olds),  Poe's  play  on  his  mother's  maiden  name — 
was  published.  This  was  an  adaptation  or  "visualization" 
of  The  Landscape  Garden. 

To-  — ,  a  poem  in  blank  verse,  supposed  to  have  been 
inspired  by  Mrs.  Shew,  partakes  of  the  character  of  other 
things  written  about  this  time  when  Poe's  mental  state 
excused  much  that  he  said  and  wrote. 

THE  UNION  MAGAZINE  of  Literature  and  Art,  Embellished 
with  the  Finest  Steel,  Mezzotint,  and  Wood  Engrav 
ings,  music,  and  Colored  Fashions.  Edited  by  Mrs. 
C.  M.  Kirkland. 

Volume  I.  July  to  December,  1847 
Volumes  II  and  III  to  December,  1848 

In  March,  1848,  this  magazine  published  Poe's  Sonnet 
beginning : 

'Seldom  we  find,'  says  Solomon  Don  Dunce 
'Half  an  idea  in  the  profoundest  sonnet.' 

This  sonnet,  apparently  written  to  embalm  the  name 
"Sarah  Anne  Lewis,"  characterized  its  subject;  but  even 
had  it  not  been  written  to  "fit"  Mrs.  Lewis,  we  would  neces 
sarily  bracket  it  with  other  of  his  work  produced  during 
his  declining  years.  It  contains  sentiment  but  not  the 
slightest  sense.  Later  the  title  was  amplified  and  the  poem 
is  now  known  as  An  Enigma. 


POE:  A  BIBLIOGRAPHIC  STUDY      331 

Another  of  Poe's  poems,  also  written  in  memory  of  a 
woman,  appeared  in  the  November,  1848,  issue  of  the 

"Union."  This  originally  bore  the  title  To ,  which 

later  was  changed  To  Helen]  it  is  said  to  be  one  of  his 
finest  poems. 

Volume  IV  was  issued  under  the  new  title,  "Sartain's 
Magazine,"  this  well  known  artist  having  purchased  it 
"to  make  the  magazine  a  work  of  Art  as  well  as  of  litera 
ture."  In  March,  1849,  A  Valentine  was  published,  again 
containing  "enwrapped  from  every  reader,"  a  name  "that 
nestling  lies."  This  was  the  name  of  another  woman,  Mrs. 
Frances  Osgood.  This  kaleidoscopic  appearance  of  so 
many  names  does  not  so  much  honor  the  ladies,  as  it 
reflects  Poe's  own  unstable  amative  mental  state. 

Volume  V,  for  November,  1849,  contains  the  final  ver 
sion  of  The  Bells.  It  had  gone  through  many  changes  in  its 
slow  development,  and  this  poem  was  undoubtedly  Poe's 
last  attempt  in  composition. 

Volume  VI,  in  its  initial  number,  republished  Annabel 
Lee.  Poe  had  given  it  to  Sartain  in  memory  of  the  kind 
ness  he  had  received,  but  it  was  not  printed  till  after  it 
had  appeared  both  in  the  "New  York  Tribune"  and  "The 
Southern  Literary  Messenger."  InOctober,  The  Poetic  Prin 
ciple  was  published,  the  final  statement  of  Poe's  poetic  faith. 

The  only  other  magazine  known  to  contain  Poe  items, 
was  called  "The  Flag  of  Our  Union."  The  only  copy  of  it 
which  so  far  has  been  found  is  now  in  the  Congressional 
Library  in  Washington.  It  contained  the  poem,  To  My 
Mother,  Poe's  tribute  to  the  love  he  bore  Mrs.  Clemm,  as 
well  as  his  last  and  most  passionate  love  message,  To 
Annie. 

Although  Poe's  reputation  had  steadily  grown,  and  he 
was  fully  recognized  before  1845,  no  collection  of  his  poems 
had  been  made,  nor  was  there  such  a  representative  collec 
tion  of  his  Tales  as  he  desired. 


332      POE:  A  BIBLIOGRAPHIC  STUDY 

In  this  year  was  published: 

THE  RAVEN  AND  OTHER  POEMS.  By  Edgar  A.  Poe.  New 
York:  Wiley  and  Putnam.  161  Broadway,  1845. 

Collation  .'Half-title,  title,  copyright  and  imprint.  Dedication,  preface, 
contents:  text  (pp.  1)-91.  Publisher's  list  unnumbered  (12  pages). 

This  appeared  in  the  half  title  as  "Wiley  and  Putnam's 
Library  of  American  Books."  It  was  dedicated: 

To  the  Noblest  of  her  sex — to  the  Author  of  The  Drama  of  Exile* 
TO  MISS  ELIZABETH  BARRETT  of  England,  I  dedicate  thisvolume, 
with  the  most  enthusiastic  admiration  and  with  the  most  sincere 
esteem. — E.  A.  P. 

The  preface  follows : 

These  trifles  are  collected  and  republished  chiefly  with  a  view  to 
their  redemption  from  the  many  improvements  to  which  they  have 
been  subjected  while  going  the  'rounds  of  the  press.'  If  what  I  have 
written  is  to  circulate  at  all,  I  am  naturally  anxious  that  it  circulate 
as  I  wrote  it.  In  defense  of  my  own  taste,  nevertheless,  it  is  incumbent 
on  me  to  say  that  I  think  nothing  in  this  volume  of  much  value  to  the 
public,  or  very  creditable  to  myself.  Events  not  to  be  controlled  have 
prevented  me  from  making  at  any  time,  any  serious  effort  at  what, 
under  happier  circumstances,  would  have  been  the  field  of  my  choice. 
With  me  poetry  has  been  not  a  purpose  but  a  passion ;  and  the  pas 
sions  should  be  held  in  reverence;  they  must  not — they  cannot  at  will 
be  excited  with  an  eye  to  the  paltry  compensations,  or  the  more 
paltry  commendations  of  mankind. — E.  A.  P. 

Undoubtedly  this  indifference  to  public  opinion  was  a 
pose  on  the  part  of  Poe.  There  is  much  evidence  to  show 
that  he  requested  his  friends  to  give  publicity  and  to  com 
ment  on  his  poems  and  tales  even  if  they  did  not  care  to 
commend  them.  It  does  represent  a  belief  that  poetry  can 
not  be  written  at  will,  nor  can  it  receive  a  money  equiva 
lent.  Poe  was  too  good  a  judge  of  what  constituted  literary 
merit  not  properly  to  value  his  own  work. 

In  addition  to  his  later  poems  which  had  appeared  be 
fore  1845,  this  volume  contained  those  issued  in  1829, 
including  Al  Araaf  and  Tamerlane.  Later  changes,  espe 
cially  those  made  in  the  1831  edition,  were  rejected  and 
the  1829  version  was  restored.  These  poems  had  been 
slightly  emended :  the  verbal  changes  were  few  and,  as  a 


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334      POE:  A  BIBLIOGRAPHIC  STUDY 

rule,  they  retained  their  original  titles.  Only  two  of  the 
1827  poems,  Romance  and  A  Song,  were  republished  with 
out  change.  All  others  were  omitted,  Tamerlane  and  Al 
Araaf  being  issued  as  rewritten  in  1829. 

To  these  poems  Poe  appended  the  following  note: 

Private  reasons — some  of  which  have  reference  to  the  sin  of  pla 
giarism,  and  others  to  the  date  of  Tennyson's  first  poems — have 
induced  me,  after  some  hesitation,  to  re-publish  these,  the  crude  com 
positions  of  my  earliest  boyhood.  They  are  printed  verbatim — without 
alteration  from  the  original  edition — the  date  of  which  is  too  remote 
to  be  judiciously  acknowledged. — E.  A.  P. 

It  is  a  thin  volume,  padded  though  it  is  with  these  juven 
ile  poems ;  yet  upon  what  other  collection  ever  issued  could 
a  poet  more  confidently  have  relied  to  pass  his  name  and 
his  fame  to  posterity? 

In  1845  a  new  collection  of  his  stories  was  published 
with  the  title : 

TALES.  By  Edgar  A.  Poe.  New  York:  Wiley  and  Putnam. 
161  Broadway,  1845. 

Collation:  Half-title,  title,  copyright  and  imprint.  Contents:  text 
pp.  (1) — 228.  Publisher's  list  unnumbered. 

In  the  half  title  this  appeared  as  No.  2  of  Wiley  and 
Putnam's  Library  of  American  Books. 

It  contained  only  twelve  stories.  Apparently  Poe  was 
not  consulted  as  to  the  selection  and  was  dissatisfied  with 
the  result.  In  "The  Broadway  Journal"  for  July  12,  1845, 
Poe  made  the  following  comment : 

This  collection  embraces  the  Gold  Bug;  the  Black  Cat;  Mesmeric 
Revelation;  Lionizing;  The  Fall  of  the  House  of  Usher;  the  Descent  into 
the  Maelstrom;  the  Colloquy  of  Monos  and  Una;  the  Conversation  of 
Eiros  and  Charmion;  the  Murders  in  the  Rue  Morgue;  the  Mystery  of 
Marie  Roget;  the  Purloined  Letter  and  the  Man  of  the  Crowd.  This  is  a 
selection  from  about  seventy  tales,  of  similar  length,  written  by 
Mr.  Poe.  No  particular  arrangement  has  been  made  in  their  selection. 
The  stories  published  in  the  volume  before  us,  are  neither  better  nor 
worse,  in  general,  than  the  remainder  of  the  seventy.  In  the  composi 
tion  of  the  whole  series,  variety  of  subject  and  manner,  especially 


POE:  A  BIBLIOGRAPHIC  STUDY      335 

diversity  of  invention,  were  the  objects  held  in  view.  Of  course  these 
objects  are  lost  sight  of,  and  must  necessarily  be  sacrificed,  in  any 
mere  selection  of  twelve  tales  from  seventy. 

Harrison  says : 

Poe  objected  strongly  to  the  selection  because  he  thought  it  re 
vealed  his  ratiocinative  side  too  exclusively,  to  the  detriment  of  the 
romantic,  poetic,  humorous  and  imaginative  facets  of  his  many-sided 
authorship.  His  own  opinion  of  his  prose  works  as  revealed  in  the  well 
known  letter  to  Lowell  was  as  follows:  "My  best  tales  areLigeia,  The 
Gold  Bug,  the  Murders  of  the  Rue  Morgue,  The  Fail  of  the  House  of 
Usher,  The  Tell  Tale  Heart,  the  Black  Cat,  William  Wilson  and  the 
Descent  into  the  Maelstrom. 

EUREKA.  A  Prose  Poem.  By  Edgar  A.  Poe.  New  York: 
Geo.  P.  Putnam;  of  late  firm  of  "Wiley  and  Putnam," 
155  Broadway.  MDCCCXLVIII. 

Collation :  Title,  copyright,  imprint.  Dedication,  preface,  text  pp.  (7) — 
143.  Publisher's  list  (1) — 15  (16).  Apparently  advertising  pages  5-12 
omitted. 

It  is  interesting  to  study  the  opinions  regarding  this 
book,  which  various  biographers  have  expressed. 
Griswold  asserts: 

To  the  composition  of  Eureka  he  brought  his  subtlest  and  highest 
capacities,  in  their  most  perfect  development. 

Denying  that  the  Arcana  of  the  Universe  can  be  explored  by  induc 
tion,  but  informing  his  imagination  with  the  various  results  of 
science,  he  entered  with  unhesitating  boldness,  though  with  no  guide 
but  the  divinest  instinct, — into  the  sea  of  speculation,  and  there 
built  up  of  according  laws  and  their  phenomena,  as  under  the  influence 
of  a  scientific  inspiration,  his  theory  of  Nature.  .  .  .  When  I  read 
Eureka  I  could  not  help  but  think  it  immeasurably  superior  as  an 
illustration  of  genius  to  the  'Vestiges  of  Creation;'  and  as  I  admired 
the  poem  so  I  regretted  its  pantheism,  which  is  not  necessary  to  its 
main  design. 

Mrs.  Whitman  in  her  "Defense  of  Poe"  made  the  follow 
ing  comment : 

The  unrest  and  faithlessness  of  the  age  culminated  in  him. 
Nothing  so  solitary,  nothing  so  hopeless,  nothing  so  desolate  as  his 
spirit  in  its  darker  moods  has  been  instanced  in  the  literary  history  of 
the  nineteenth  century. 

It  has  been  said  that  this  theory,  as  expressed  in  Eureka  of  the 
universal  diffusion  of  Deity  in  and  through  all  things,  is  identical  with 


EUREKA: 


PROSE         POEM 


BY 


EDGAR  A.  POE 


NEW-YORK: 
GEO.    P.    PUTNAM, 

OF    LATE    FIRM    OT    "WILEY    &    PUTNAM, 
155   BROADWAY. 

MDCCCXLVm. 


POE:  A  BIBLIOGRAPHIC  STUDY      337 

the  Brahminical  faith  as  expressed  in  the  Bag  vat  Gita.  But  those  who 
will  patiently  follow  the  vast  reaches  of  his  thought  in  this  sublime 
poem  of  the  'Universe'  will  find  that  he  arrives  at  a  form  of  unbelief 
far  more  appalling  than  that  expressed  in  the  gloomy  pantheism  of 
India,  since  it  assumes  that  the  central,  creative  Soul  is,  alternatively, 
not  diffused  only,  but  merged  and  lost  in  the  universe,  and  the  universe 
in  it:  'A  new  universe  swelling  into  existence  or  subsiding  into  noth 
ingness  at  every  throb  of  the  Heart  Divine. 

The  creative  Energy,  therefore,  'now;  exists  solely  in  the  diffused 
matter  and  spirit,  of  the  existing  universe.'  The  author  assumes, 
moreover,  that  each  individual  soul  retains  in  its  youth  a  dim  con 
sciousness  of  vast  dooms  and  destinies  far  distant  in  the  bygone  time, 
and  infinitely  awful ;  from  which  inherent  consciousness  the  conven 
tional  'World-Reason'  at  last  awakens  it  as  from  a  dream.  'It  says 
you  live,  and  the  time  was  when  you  lived  not.  You  have  been  created. 
An  Intelligence  exists  greater  than  your  own,  and  it  is  only  through 
this  Intelligence  that  you  live  at  all.'  These  things,'  he  says,  'we 
struggle  to  comprehend  and  cannot:  cannot,  because  being  untrue,  they 
are  of  necessity  incomprehensible.' 

Harrison  thinks : 

Poe's  argumentative  faculty  attained  perhaps  its  highest  expression 
in  Eureka:  the  theme,  in  itself  so  abstract,  so  transcendental,  burns 
and  glows  with  a  concrete  radiance  that  seems  to  convince  the  reader 
that  it  is  true  light  and  not  quagmire  phosphorescence;  the  suppleness 
of  the  poet's  tongue  never  abandons  him  as  he  climbs  the  empyrean 
in  his  Excelsior  flight  and  forces  one  stronghold  after  another  of  re 
treating  Deity,  talking  volubly  of  Newton,  Kepler  and  LaPlace  the 
while,  until  at  last  'Eureka'  burst  from  his  lips  and  he  fancies  he  has 
found  the  Eternal. 

Woodberry,  not  altogether  relying  on  his  own  ability 
to  solve  Poe's  conception  of  this  riddle  of  the  universe, 
called  on  Professor  Irving  Stringham  of  the  Astronomical 
Department  of  the  University  of  California  "for  the  sub 
stance  of  the  criticism  of  Poe's  astronomical  speculations." 
The  result  of  their  double  labor  still  leaves  much  to  be 
explained. 

The  mind  knows  intuitively  .  .  .  that  the  creative  act  of  Deity 
must  have  been  the  simplest  possible;  or,  to  expand  and  define  this 
statement,  it  must  have  consisted  in  willing  into  being  a  primordial 
particle,  the  germ  of  all  things  existing  without  relation  to  aught,  or, 
in  the  technical  phrase,  unconditioned. 

This  particle,  by  virtue  of  the  divine  volition,  radiated  into  space 
uniformly  in  all  directions,  a  shower  of  atoms,  of  diverse  form,  irregu 
larly  arranged  among  themselves,  but  all,  generally  speaking,  equally 


338      POE:  A  BIBLIOGRAPHIC  STUDY 

distant  from  their  source;  this  operation  was  repeated  at  intervals, 
but  with  decreased  energy  in  each  new  instance,  so  that  the  atoms 
were  impelled  less  far. 

So  this  composite  explanation  continues  for  several 
pages  and  a  fairly  lucid — as  demonstrated  by  this  excerpt 
—explanation  is  made  of  Poe's  Theory  of  the  Universe. 
However,  the  scrambled  expositions  of  Poe,  Woodberry 
and  Stringham  do  not  seem  to  me  to  bear  a  marked  resem 
blance  to  Poe's  unscrambled  statement.  Poe  himself  might 
have  felt  highly  gratified  could  he  have  read  this  apprecia 
tion,  but  I  believe  that  he  would  have  rejected  at  least 
two-thirds  of  the  statements  it  contains. 

I  do  not  mean  to  criticise,  or  to  deny,  the  capacity  of 
either  critic  further  than  to  suggest  that  where  a  thing  is 
so  essentially  obscure,  and  so  evidently  unformed  in  the 
creator's  own  brain,  it  was  not  wise  to  attempt  a  solution. 
Their  double  explanation  is  sufficiently  lucid.  Just  how 
nearly  it  represents  Poe's  basic  idea  is  the  matter  which 
I  regard  as  debatable. 

Occasionally  it  has  happened  that  astronomers  have  at 
tempted  to  compute  the  distance  of  a  star  by  measuring 
the  angle  its  rays  make  when  the  earth,  in  its  revolution 
around  the  sun,  occupied  those  two  positions  the  farthest 
possible  from  each  other.  This  they  call  the  "parallax." 
We,  likewise,  may  be  permitted,  in  our  attempt  at  solving 
this  question,  to  go  almost  to  our  antipodes  and  there  seek 
for  a  solution.  Distance  may  make  clear,  and  an  untram- 
meled  imagination  may  solve  this  vexed  question.  I  refer 
to  Lauvriere's  solution,  contained  in  a  Life  of  Poe,  later 
to  be  discussed. 

In  the  Beginning,  God  created  a  particle  without  form,  without 
individuality,  without  emptiness,  absolutely  unique.  This  particle  was 
the  germ  of  all  things.  It  glittered  in  space  in  a  wave  of  unequally  dis 
tributed  atoms  of  different  shapes.  Other  waves  followed,  the  atoms 
of  which  were  forced  among  the  original  atoms  by  a  slight  pressure. 
Still  other  waves  followed  that  were  somewhat  weaker,  but  which,  in 
time,  more  or  less  completely  filled  this  space  with  a  multitude  of 


POE:  A  BIBLIOGRAPHIC  STUDY      339 

atoms.  *Bearing  a  proportion  to  the  number  of  atoms  at  the  surface  of 
this  sphere  and  starting  at  the  square  of  the  distance  between  these 
surfaces  and  the  center,  the  force  of  diffusion  continues  to  decrease.  * 
As  soon  as  this  is  exhausted  an  attractive  force  which  is  the  natural 
reaction,  and  which  is  in  inverse  proportion  tothesquareof  thisdistance, 
develops  and  in  its  turn  draws  back  the  mass  of  atoms  to  a  common 
center.  To  prevent  the  immediate  return  of  the  atoms  to  their  primi 
tive  unity  a  third  force  manifests  itself.  This  is  a  repulsive  force, 
agglomerating  these  atoms  into  a  mass,  slowly  forming  sidereal  bodies 
of  infinite  and  heterogeneous  shapes.  This  repulsive  force,  a  form  of 
immaterial  ether  which,  lacking  a  better  name,  Poe  called  electricity, 
manifests  itself  in  light,  heat,  magnetism,  even  in  life  and  brain  power. 
It  is  the  spiritual  element  of  things  divine  and  for  this  reason  it  is  im 
possible  of  human  analysis.  It  is  the  breath  of  God  animating  all 
beings  on  this  earth  with  a  greater  or  less  consciousness  of  divinity.  Our 
universe,  where  all  these  phenomena  actually  take  place,  is  filled  with 
these  reactions  and  with  consequent  condensation,  the  result  of  evo 
lution.  While  the  force  of  attraction  slowly  condenses  it,  that  of 
repulsion  shapes  it  into  combinations  more  and  more  complicated. 
jHowever,  as,  in  time,  the  play  of  these  combinations  will  become 
exhausted  because  the  divine  laws  of  creation  have  been  fulfilled,  the 
attractive  force,  the  inevitable  consequence  of  primitive  diffusion  can 
only  increase  itself  in  proportion  to  the  force  of  repulsion,  it  being  a 
temporary  invention  of  God  that  will  have  been  lost.f  From  this  will 
come  the  fated  result  that  all  created  worlds  will,  one  by  one,  be  in  the 
central  conflagration  by  which  means  matter,  which  is  in  fact  only 
the  result  of  attractive  and  repulsive  forces,  will  be  swallowed  up; — 
will  be  engulfed  in  the  bosom  of  the  initial  particle,  and  in  the  confu 
sion  of  the  two  forces  that  constitute  it.  Thus  will  end  our  existing 
universe.  Others  may  come  after  it,  as  others  have  preceded  it,  and  as 
others  possibly  exist  in  infinite  space.  For  each  creation,  in  essence,  is 
only  the  ephemeral  result  of  a  diffusion  and  reabsorption  into  the 
divine  being.  This  was  Poe's  conception  of  the  universe. 

It  is  certain  that  Poe  believed  he  knew  what  he  was 
trying  to  express  and,  in  his  attempt  to  make  this  plain  to 
the  world,  he  used  all  the  powers  of  thought-compelling 
English  in  his  vocabulary  to  convey  his  meaning  to  the 
world,  still  in  ignorance  of  the  first  cause. 

These  elucidations  have  been  variously  interpreted  and, 
a  matter  of  surprise  to  me,  serious  attempts  have  been 

*Proportionne  a  la  fois  au  nombre  des  atomes,  aux  surfaces  des  spheres,  et, 
partant,  au  carre  des  distances  entre  ces  surfaces  et  la  centre,  la  force  diffusive  n' 
cesse  de  decroitre. 

fMais,  lorsqu'a  la  longue  se  trouvera  epuise  le  jeu  de  ces  combinaisions,  lorsque 
seront  accomplies  les  vues,  divines  sur  la  creation,  la  force  d'attraction,  consequence 
inevitable  de  la  diffusion  primitive,  ne  pourra  que  s'accroitre  de  tout  ce  que  la 
force  de  repulsion,  simple  intervention  temporaire  de  Dieu,  aura  perdu. 


340      POE:  A  BIBLIOGRAPHIC  STUDY 

made  to  formulate  them.  Poe  has  excited  the  admiration, 
even  if  he  has  not  been  able  to  satisfy  the  comprehension 
of  many  of  his  biographers. 

Poe's  own  explanation  deserves  some  consideration.  In 
discussing  the  subject  as  it  was  given  in  his  preliminary 
lecture  he  thus  epitomized  it : 

General  Proposition.  Because  nothing  was,  therefore  all  things  are. 

1 .  An  inspection  of  the  universality  of  gravitation — of  the  fact  that 
each  particle  tends  not  to  any  one  common  point,  but  to  every  other 
particle,  suggests  perfect  totality  of  absolute  unity  as  the  source  of  the 
phenomenon. 

2.  Gravity  is  but  the  mode  in  which  is  manifested  the  tendency 
of  all  things  to  return  into  their  original  unity. 

3.  I  show  that  the  law  of  the  return — i.  e.,  the  law  of  gravity — is 
but  a  necessary  result  of  the  necessary  and  sole  possible  mode  of 
equable  irradiation  of  matter  through  a  limited  space. 

4.  Were  the  universe  of  stars  (contradistinguished  from  the  uni 
verse  of  space)  unlimited,  no  worlds  could  exist. 

5.  I  show  unity  is  nothingness. 

6.  All  matter  springing  from  unity  sprang  from  nothingness,  i.  e., 
was  created. 

7.  All  will  return  to  unity,  i.  e.,  nothingness. 

I  would  be  obliged  to  you  if  you  would  let  me  know  how  far  these 
ideas  are  coincident  with  those  of  the  'Vestiges,' 

Very  Resp'y  yr.  ob.  St., 
EDGAR  A.  POE. 

His  full  statement  is  not  more  comprehensible. 

I  design  to  speak  of  the  Physical,  Metaphysical  and  Mathematical — 
of  the  Material  and  Spiritual  Universe: — of  its  Existence,  its  Origin,  its 
Creation,  its  Present  Conditions  and  its  Destiny.  .  .  .  My  general 
proposition,  then,  is  this: — In  the  Original  Unity  of  the  First  Thing 
lies  the  Secondary  Cause  of  ALL  Things,  with  the  Germ  of  their  In 
evitable  Annihilation.  .  .  . 

As  our  starting-point,  then,  let  us  adopt  the  Godhead.  Of  this  God 
head  in  itself,  he  alone  is  not  imbecile — he  alone  is  not  impious  who 
propounds — nothing.  "We  know  absolutely  nothing  of  the  nature  or 
essence  of  God : — in  order  to  comprehend  what  he  is,  we  should  have  to 
be  God  ourselves.  .  .  .  By  Him,  however — now,  at  least,  the  Incompre 
hensible — by  Him — assuming  him  as  Spirit — that  is  to  say,  as  not 
Matter — a  distinction  which,  for  all  intelligible  purposes,  will  stand 
well  instead  of  a  definition — by  Him,  then,  existing  as  a  Spirit,  let  us 
content  ourselves,  to-night,  with  supposing  to  have  been  created,  or 
made  out  of  nothing,  [not  a  shower  of  atoms,  created  from  a  particle, 
radiated  into  space  uniformly  in  all  directions,  as  Woodberry  inter 
prets  it]  by  dint  of  his  Volition — at  some  point  of  Space  which  we  will 


POE:  A  BIBLIOGRAPHIC  STUDY      341 

take  as  a  center — at  some  period  into  which  we  do  not  pretend  to 
inquire,  but  at  all  events  immensely  remote — by  Him,  then  again,  let 
us  suppose  to  have  been  created — whatl  This  is  a  vitally  momentous 
epoch  in  our  considerations.  What  is  it  that  we  are  justified — that 
alone  we  are  justified  in  supposing  to  have  been,  primarily  and  solely, 
created!  We  have  attained  a  point  where  only  Intuition  can  aid  us: — 
but  now  let  me  recur  to  the  idea  which  I  have  already  suggested  as 
that  alone  which  we  can  properly  entertain  of  Intuition.  It  is  but  the 
conviction  arising  from  those  inductions  or  deductions  of  which  the  pro 
cesses  are  so  shadowy  as  to  escape  our  consciousness,  elude  our  reason,  or 
defy  our  capacity  of  expression. 

With  this  understanding,  I  now  assert — that  an  intuition  alto 
gether  irresistible,  although  inexpressible,  forces  me  to  the  conclusion 
that  what  God  originally  created — that  that  Matter  which,  by  dint  of 
his  Volition,  he  first  made  from  his  Spirit,  or  from  Nihility,  could  have 
been  nothing  but  Matter  in  its  utmost  conceivable  state  of — what? — 
of  Simplicity?  This  will  be  found  the  sole  absolute  assumption  of  my 
Discourse. 

There  are  more  than  one  hundred  pages  of  this — and 
such.  I  have  read  it  attentively  and  have  tried  to  compre 
hend  it,  for  it  reads  exceedingly  well  without  flaw  or  break 
of  sentence,  but  I  fail  to  grasp  the  idea. 

Some  time  ago,  in  reading  Mark  Twain's  account  of  a 
"Distressing  Accident,"  which  happened  to  one  William 
Schuyler,  I  was  compelled  to  reread  and  again  to  read,  but 
I  was  not  able  to  understand  the  cause  leading  up  to  the 
accident,  nor  even  the  nature  of  the  accident ;  and  still  it 
read  with  perfect  fluidity  and  clarity.  I  recalled  the  cele 
brated  interview  between  Artemus  Ward  and  Mark 
Twain,  and  the  suspicion  that  gradually  grew  up  in  Mark's 
brain  when  he  found  that,  although  he  could  follow  all 
Artemus  said  with  the  greatest  ease,  comprehension  was 
lacking.  The  point  of  both  joke-stories  was  their  incom 
prehensibility. 

No  one  can  accuse  Poe  of  any  desire  or  attempt  to  per 
petrate  a  joke.  This  effort  at  explanation  of  the  secrets  of 
the  universe  must  be  taken  seriously. 

In  explaining  Poe's  mental  state  at  the  time  he  com 
posed  this  book,  I  have  made  plain  the  belief  that  he  was 
not  to  be  held  responsible  for  all  that  he  said  or  wrote. 


342      POE:  A  BIBLIOGRAPHIC  STUDY 

At  the  time  of  Poe's  death,  no  complete  edition  of  his 
works  had  been  published;  nor,  except  for  occasional 
issues  of  special  selections,  the  titles  and  contents  of 
which  I  have  discussed,  was  there  even  a  representative 
collection.  Except  for  the  poems,  Poe  had  been  given  no 
choice  as  to  selection,  and  only  in  the  stray  magazines  and 
other  periodicals  in  which  originally  they  had  been  pub 
lished  or  republished,  could  his  reviews  and  the  majority 
of  his  stories  be  found.  Poe  complained  because,  of  the 
seventy  contributions  offered  Wiley  &  Putnam,  Duyckinck 
chose  twelve  that,  in  Poe's  opinion,  "are  not  my  best,  nor 
do  they  fairly  represent  me  in  any  respect." 

Immediately  upon  Poe's  death  a  well  known  compiler, 
named  W.  R.  Griswold,  announced  that  he  had  been 
selected  by  Poe  to  be  his  literary  executor.  Griswold  called 
upon  Mrs.  Clemm,  obtained  access  to  all  of  Poe's  manu 
scripts,  letters,  books  and  papers  of  every  description,  and 
undertook  the  task  of  collecting  and  editing  all  that  Poe 
had  written  and  published  in  the  many  magazines  to  which 
he  had  been  a  contributor.  From  these  papers  Griswold 
selected  such  as  he  believed  to  be  worth  preserving,  but 
apparently  he  found  no  original  material  among  Poe's 
papers  which  deserved  publication.  Either  this  collection  of 
Poe  remainders  was  small,  or,  in  the  judgment  of  this  liter 
ary  editor,  it  was  without  value.  In  this  republication  certain 
reviews  were  suppressed,  and  others  were  modified  either 
by  Poe  before  his  death  or  by  this  editor.  For  some 
reason  Griswold  never  returned  these  manuscripts  although 
he  had  only  requested  the  use  of  them  as  a  corroborative 
detail  of  their  verbatim  publication.  Apparently  he  made 
some  arrangement  with  Mrs.  Clemm  by  which  he  retained 
permanent  possession.  The  possible  details  of  the  trans 
action,  as  well  as  Griswold's  reason  for  undertaking  this 
editorship,  have  been  sufficiently  discussed  in  the  "Psycho 
pathic  Study."  At  the  time  of  Griswold's  death  very  few 


POE:  A  BIBLIOGRAPHIC  STUDY      343 

Poe  manuscripts  could  be  found.  Possibly  Griswold  had  the 
legal  right  to  do  with  these  papers  as  he  pleased. 

Although  Griswold  explained  that  he  "had  been  com 
pelled  by  ill  health  to  solicit  the  indulgence  of  my  pub 
lishers,  who  had  many  thousand  dollars  invested  in  an 
unfinished  work  under  my  direction";  and  he  further 
remarked:  "I  would  gladly  have  declined  a  task  imposing 
so  much  labor,"  he  was  overpersuaded  and  felt  it  his  duty 
to  comply  because,  he  said,  of  the  statement  of  "several 
of  Mr.  Poe's  intimate  friends  that  he  had  long  been  in  the 
habit  of  expressing  a  desire  that  in  the  event  of  his  death 
I  should  be  his  editor,  I  yielded  to  this  apparent  necessity," 
Woodberry,  remarking  on  this  selection  by  Poe,  expressed 
surprise,  "notwithstanding  a  history  of  personal  relations 
that  would  seem  to  exclude  the  possibility  of  such  a 
choice."  Although  Willis  had  also  been  named  by  Mrs. 
Clemm  as  an  associate,  apparently  his  only  contribution 
was  his  biographical  essay. 

This  statement  by  Woodberry  is  based  on  the  fact  that 
for  years  bitter  personal  enmity  had  existed  between  Gris 
wold  and  Poe.  This  was  characterized  by  open  warfare  on  the 
part  of  Poe,  who  wrote  many  articles  personally  reflecting 
on  Griswold  and  on  his  editorial  fitness  for  review  work, 
as  well  as  on  his  capacity  as  a  writer.  One  of  Poe's 
bitterest  criticisms  was  of  Griswold's  compilation:  "The 
Poets  and  Poetry  of  America."  It  contained  statements 
that  justified  Woodberry's  expression  of  surprise.  Among 
other  things  Poe  wrote,  "We  can  only  say  to  Mr.  Griswold, 
'Jove  protect  us  from  his  reviewing,  and  the  public  from 
what  he  deems  exquisite/  "  Poe  further  accused  Griswold 
of  plagiarism,  and  of  deliberately  altering  and  rearranging 
matter  submitted  to  him  for  publication.  He  asks:  "How 
came  you  to  alter  Dr.  J.  K.  Mitchell's  song  in  such  a 
manner  that  the  author  scarcely  knew  his  own  produc 
tion?"  In  criticising  Griswold's  assertion  that  Tennyson 


344      POE:  A  BIBLIOGRAPHIC  STUDY 

"stole  at  first  hand  from  Keats,"  Poe  comments:  "Well, 
if  this  is  not  the  height  of  assurance  we  don't  know  what 
assurance  is,  coming  as  it  does  from  one  of  the  most 
clumsy  of  literary  thieves,  and  who,  in  his  wildest  aspir 
ations,  never  even  dreamed  of  an  original  thought."  Poe 
ended  this  criticism  with  the  following  statement:  "For 
gotten,  save  only  by  those  whom  he  has  injured  and  in 
sulted,  he  [Griswold]  will  sink  into  oblivion,  without 
leaving  a  landmark  to  tell  that  he  once  existed;  or,  if  he 
is  spoken  of  hereafter,  he  will  be  quoted  as  the  unfaithful 
servant  who  abused  his  trust." 

It  is  true  that  there  had  been  occasional  truces  in  this 
war;  also  that  these  criticisms  were  made  entirely  on  the 
side  of  Poe.  Griswold  had  taken  no  notice  of  the  verbal 
assaults,  nor  had  he  in  any  way  replied  to  Poe's  taunts. 
That  at  the  time  of  Poe's  death  he  had  written  the  Lud- 
wig  obituary,  and  that  important  business  engagements 
occupied  his  full  time,  did  not  prevent  him  from  delaying 
or  voiding  these  contracts  and  volunteering  his  services 
to  Mrs.  Clemm.  Either  this  action  was  the  result  of  a  most 
magnanimous  heart,  and  a  desire  to  have  the  literary  work 
of  a  man  he  had  never  appreciated  in  life  properly  pre 
sented  after  death,  or  there  were  other  and  compelling 
reasons  that  induced  him  to  make  this  offer. 

Although  ill  and  under  contract  to  other  publishers, 
Griswold  worked  with  feverish  energy  gathering  together 
and  preparing  for  publication  all  of  the  tales  and  poetry 
and  a  few  of  the  reviews.  These  were  published  by  Redfield 
early  in  1850.  Griswold  at  least  succeeded  in  doing  that 
in  which  Poe  had  so  signally  failed.  Although  Poe  had 
sought  many  publishers,  only  occasionally  had  he  found  one 
who  would  undertake  his  material.  Even  on  those  few 
occasions,  he  had  not  been  allowed  the  right  of  editing. 
Woodberry  states  that  Griswold  "finally  persuaded  Mr. 
Redfield  to  try  the  experiment  of  issuing  two  volumes  first, 


POE:  A  BIBLIOGRAPHIC  STUDY      345 

which  were  published  and  had  a  fair  sale — then  the  third, 
and  finally  the  fourth  volume  were  added  to  complete  the 
works."  That  Griswold  was  industrious  as  well  as  success 
ful  is  certain,  for  although  arrangements  financial  and 
otherwise,  were  not  completed  with  Mrs.  Clemm  until  late 
in  November,  1849,  it  is  to  be  noted  that  the  first  volume 
containing  the  Tales,  as  well  as  the  second  volume 
Poetry  &c.  (or  Poetry  and  Miscellanies — there  are  two 
issues  bearing  different  titles  on  the  cover,  but  with 
identical  title  pages,)  was  copyrighted  in  1849.  Whether 
Redfield  distrusted  the  salable  qualities  of  Poe's  works, 
and  for  this  reason  drove  a  hard  bargain,  or  whether 
others  participated  in  the  profits  that  must  have  accrued, 
is  not  known.  It  is  certain  that  over  twenty  thousand  sets 
of  these  two  volumes,  with  the  succeeding  two,  were  sold — 
an  enormous  circulation  for  those  days.  Neither  the  estate 
of  Poe  nor  Mrs.  Clemm,  directly  or  indirectly,  received 
any  of  this  money. 

Mrs.  Clemm  lived  many  years,  a  guest  in  the  home  of 
"Annie"  and  other  of  her  friends.  She  died  in  a  publicly 
supported  home  for  the  aged. 

THE  WORKS  OF  THE  LATE  EDGAR  ALLAN  POE.  With  No 
tices  of  His  Life  and  Genius.  By  N.  P.  Willis,  J.  R. 
Lowell,  and  R.  W.  Griswold.  In  two  volumes.  Vol.  I 
Tales.  New  York:  J.  S.  Redfield,  Clinton  Hall.  1850. 
Vol.  II  Poems  and  Miscellanies. 

Collation:  Vol.  I.  Title,  copyright,  preface — To  the  Reader — signed 
Maria  Clemm.  Half-title,  contents.  Life  of  Poe,  by  James  Russell 
Lowell  pp.  vii-xiii.  Death  of  Edgar  A.  Poe.  by  N.  P.  Willis,  pp.  xiv-xx. 
Text,  pp.  (1) — 483.  Illustrated  by  Sartain's  engraving  of  Poe. 
Vol.  II.  Title,  copyright.  Preface  to  the  Poems — signed  E.  A.  P. 
Contents,  text,  pp.  (l)-495. 

Poems  and  tales  in  this  collection  are,  with  a  few  excep- 
ceptions,  verbatim  reprints  taken  from  the  works  of  Poe 
already  published,  or  from  Poe's  final  revision  of  his  tales 


346      POE:  A  BIBLIOGRAPHIC  STUDY 

and  poems  as  republished  in  "Graham's,"  the  "Broadway 
Journal,"  and  various  other  periodicals  already  mentioned. 
Although  it  is  certain,  from  the  title  page  of  the  first 
volume,  that  Griswold,  immediately  upon  assuming  control, 
intended  writing  a  memoir  of  Poe,  evidently  either  lack  of 
time,  or  a  deliberate  purpose,  induced  him  to  delay  its 
issuance.  Apparently,  it  was  with  forethought,  and  most 
careful  preparation,  that  he  issued  in  the  third  volume, 
the  "Literati",  a  defamatory  and  untrue  sketch  of  Poe. 

THE  LITERATI.  Some  Honest  Opinions  about  Autorial 
Merits  and  Demerits,  with  Occasional  Words  of  Person 
ality.  Together  with  Marginalia,  Suggestions  and  Es- 

'  says.  By  Edgar  A.  Poe.  Quotation.  With  a  Sketch  of 
the  Author  by  RufusWilmot  Griswold.  New  York:  1850. 

This  contained  a  Memoir  of  Poe  filled  with  malignant 
statements,  the  result  of  the  pent  up  ill-will  Griswold  had 
so  silently  borne.  This  memoir  was  an  amplification  of 
an  obituary  Griswold  had  written  immediately  after  Poe's 
death,  which  had  been  published  in  the  Tribune  with  the 
signature  "Ludwig."  At  the  time  Mrs.  Clemm  consented  to 
Griswold's  assuming  the  editorship  of  Poe's  works,  she  did 
not  know  that  he  had  written  the  "Ludwig"  obituary,  nor 
was  it  generally  known.  Later,  Griswold  fully  acknow 
ledged  this  article  and  openly  stated  "Poe  was  not  my 
friend,  nor  was  I  his",  although  he  prefaced  his  memoir 
with  letters  and  statements  to  the  effect  that  their  rela 
tions  were  friendly. 

The  Ludwig  article  began : 

Edgar  Allan  Poe  is  dead.  He  died  in  Baltimore  the  day  before  yes 
terday.  This  announcement  will  startle  many,  but  few  will  be  grieved 
by  it. 

The  poet  was  well  known  personally  or  by  reputation,  in  all  this 
country;  he  had  readers  in  England,  and  in  several  of  the  States  of 
Continental  Europe;  but  he  had  few  or  no  friends;  and  the  regrets  for 
his  death  will  be  suggested  principally  by  the  consideration  that  in 
him  literary  art  lost  one  of  its  most  brilliant,  but  erratic  stars. 


POE:  A  BIBLIOGRAPHIC  STUDY      347 

After  briefly  sketching  Poe's  early  life,  and  the  eminent 
respectability  of  "General  Poe",  as  well  as  his  relationship 
to  "Admiral  MacBride,"  Griswold  gives  an  account  of 
Poe's  first  literary  adventure : 

In  1832  the  proprietor  of  a  weekly  gazette,  in  Baltimore,  offered 
two  premiums,  one  for  the  best  story  in  prose,  the  other  in  poetry.  .  . 
Such  matters  are  usually  disposed  of  in  a  very  off-hand  way :  commit 
tees  to  award  literary  prizes  drink  to  the  payer's  health,  in  good  wines 
over  the  unexamined  MSS.  which  they  submit  to  the  discretion  of 
the  publisher,  with  permission  to  use  their  names  in  such  a  way  as  to 
promote  the  publisher's  advantage.  So  it  would  have  been  in  this  case, 
but  that  one  of  the  committee,  taking  up  a  small  book  in  such  ex 
quisite  chirography  as  to  seem  like  one  of  the  finest  issues  of  the  press 
of  Putnam,  was  tempted  to  read  several  pages.  Being  interested  he 
summoned  the  attention  of  the  company  to  the  half-dozen  composi 
tions  in  the  volume.  It  was  unanimously  decided  that  the  prizes  should 
be  paid  to  the  first  of  geniuses  who  had  written  legibly.  Not  another 
MSS.  was  unfolded. 

Poe,  coming  for  his  prize  money,  is  described  as : 
Thin  and  pale,  even  to  cadaverousness,  his  whole  appearance  in 
dicated  sickness  and  the  utmost  destitution.  A  tattered  coat  concealed 
the  absence  of  shirt,  and  the  ruins  of  boots  disclosed  more  than  the 
want  of  stockings. 

On  what  foundation  Griswold  based  his  description,  or 
whether  it  was  altogether  an  imaginary  sketch,  cannot  now 
be  determined.  This  extract,  as  well  as  the  first,  was  pro 
nounced  to  be  an  overdrawn  statement  of  the  real  facts, 
as  occasionally  is  the  newspaper  way.  Kennedy,  Poe's 
discoverer  and  friend,  did  say  that  Poe  excused  himself 
from  accepting  an  invitation  to  dinner,  "for  reasons  of  the 
most  humiliating  nature — my  personal  appearance."  In 
his  "Reminiscences  of  Poe,"  John  H.  Latrobe,  another 
member  of  the  committee  that  awarded  Poe  the  prize 
offered  by  "The  Saturday  Visiter,"  gives  the  following 
description  of  Poe : 

My  office  in  those  days  was  in  the  building  still  occupied  by  the 
Mechanics  Bank,  and  I  was  seated  at  my  desk  on  the  Monday  follow 
ing  the  publication  of  the  tale,  when  a  gentleman  entered  and  intro 
duced  himself  as  the  writer,  saying  that  he  had  come  to  thank  me,  as 
one  of  the  committee,  for  the  award  in  his  favor.  Of  this  interview  my 
recollection  is  very  distinct  indeed.  .  .  .  He  was  dressed  in  black,  and 


348      POE:  A  BIBLIOGRAPHIC  STUDY 

his  frock  coat  was  buttoned  to  the  throat,  where  it  met  the  black  stock, 
then  universally  worn.  Not  a  particle  of  white  was  visible.  Coat,  hat, 
boots  and  gloves  had  very  evidently  seen  their  best  days,  but  so  far 
as  mending  and  brushing  go  everything  had  been  done,  apparently, 
to  make  them  presentable. 

On  most  men  his  clothes  would  have  looked  shabby  and  seedy,  but 
there  was  something  about  this  man  that  prevented  one  from  criti 
cising  his  garments  and  the  details  I  have  mentioned  were  only  re 
called  afterwards.  The  impression  made,  however,  was  that  the  award 
made  in  Mr.  Poe's  favor  was  not  inopportune.  Gentleman  was  written 
all  over  him.  .  .  . 

Dr.  Griswold's  statement  'that  Mr.  Kennedy  accompanied  him 
[Poe]  to  a  clothing  store  and  purchased  for  him  a  respectable  suit, 
with  a  change  of  linen,  and  sent  him  to  a  bath,'  is  a  sheer  fabrication. 

Describing  Poe's  personal  appearance  on  the  streets, 
Ludwig  wrote : 

He  was  at  times  a  dreamer — dwelling  in  ideal  realms — in  heaven 
or  hell  peopled  with  creations  and  the  accidents  of  his  brain.  He  walked 
the  streets  in  madness  or  melancholy,  with  lips  moving  in  indistinct 
curses,  or  with  eyes  upturned  in  passionate  prayers,  (never  for  him 
self,  for  he  felt,  or  professed  to  feel,  that  he  was  already  damned,  but 
for  their  happiness  who  at  the  moment  were  objects  of  his  idolatry ;)  or 
with  his  glance  introverted  to  a  heart  gnawed  with  anguish,  and  with 
a  face  shrouded  in  gloom,  he  would  brave  the  wildest  storms;  and  all 
night  with  drenched  garments  and  arms  wildly  beating  the  wind  and 
rain,  he  would  speak  as  if  to  spirits  that  at  such  times  only  could  be 
evoked  by  him  from  the  Aidenn  close  by  whose  portals  his  disturbed 
soul  sought  to  forget  the  ills  to  which  his  constitution  subjected  him — 
close  by  the  Aidenn  where  were  those  he  loved — the  Aidenn  which  he 
might  never  see  but  in  fitful  glimpses,  as  its  gates  opened  to  receive 
the  less  fiery  and  more  happy  natures  whose  listening  to  sin  did  not 
involve  the  doom  of  death. 

This  Ludwig  article  was  bitterly  criticised  by  John  Neal, 
Poe's  first  literary  sponsor,  as  well  as  by  Graham,  his  long 
time  associate,  and  by  Willis,  in  his  "Death  of  Edgar  A. 
Poe",  contained  in  the  first  volume.  It  was  to  amplify  and 
to  prove  the  basic  truth  of  the  Ludwig  article  that  Gris- 
wold  wrote  the  memoir  he  prefixed  to  the  Literati.  Evi 
dently  smarting  under  these  criticisms,  he  entered  more 
fully  into  details  and  extended  his  descriptions  of  Poe's 
misbehavior,  adding  many  statements  later  proved  to 
be  false.  In  the  first  portion  of  this  study,  I  have  detailed 
these  allegations  of  Griswold. 


POE:  A  BIBLIOGRAPHIC  STUDY      349 

In  1856  Redfield  published  the  fourth  volume,  thus  com 
pleting  the  full  collection  of  Poe's  works.  It  still  contained, 
in  display  type,  the  name  of  Griswold  as  author  of  the 
Memoir. 

THE  WORKS  OF  THE  LATE  EDGAR  ALLAN  POE,  with  a 
Memoir  by  Rufus  Wilmot  Griswold  and  notices  of  his 
Life  and  Genius  by  N.  P.  Willis  and  J.  R.  Lowell.  In 
Four  Volumes.  IV.  Arthur  Gordon  Pym,  etc.  Redfield. 
1856. 

This  volume  contained  not  only  Pym  but  many  other 
of  Poe's  sketches  and  short  stories  with  a  few  reviews. 

There  is  another  work  of  Poe  that  should  be  mentioned 
but,  unfortunately,  it  was  never  published.  Had  it  been, 
it  is  probable  that  it  would  have  proved  Poe's  most  valu 
able  contribution  to  criticism.  That  it  must  have  been  the 
result  of  years  of  careful  preparation  is  evident  from  the 
subjoined  letter  of  Poe.  He  gives  his  reason  for  delaying 
the  issuance,  as  well  as  suggesting  the  scope  of  the  work : 

You  will  see  that  I  have  discontinued  the  'Literati'  in  Godey's 
Mag.  I  was  forced  to  do  so,  because  I  found  that  people  insisted  on 
considering  them  elaborate  criticisms,  when  I  had  no  other  design 
than  critical  gossip.  The  unexpected  circulation  of  the  series,  also, 
suggested  to  me  that  I  might  make  a  hit  and  some  profit,  as  well  as 
proper  fame,  by  extending  the  plan  to  that  of  a  book  on  American 
Letters  generally,  and  keeping  the  publication  in  my  own  hands.  I  am 
now  at  this — body  and  soul.  I  intend  to  be  through — as  far  as  I  can — 
to  examine  analytically,  without  reference  to  previous  opinions  by 
anybody — all  the  salient  points  of  Literature  in  general — e.  g.,  Poetry, 
The  Drama,  Criticism,  Historical  Writing,  Versification,  etc.,  etc. 
You  may  get  an  idea  of  the  manner  in  which  I  propose  to  write  the 
whole  book,  by  reading  the  notice  of  Hawthorne  which  will  appear  in 
the  January  Godey,  [June  1847  Tale  Writing:  Hawthorne.']  as  well 
as  the  article  on  The  Rationale  of  Verse,'  which  will  be  out  in  March 
or  April  No.  of  Colton's  American  Magazine  or  Review.  ['Southern 
Literary  Messenger,'  October  and  November,  1849]. 

Do  not  trust,  in  making  up  your  library,  to  the  'opinions'  in  the 
Godey  series.  I  meant  honest — but  my  meaning  is  not  so  fully  made 
out  as  I  could  wish.  I  thought  too  little  of  the  series  myself  to  guard 
sufficiently  against  haste,  inaccuracy  or  prejudice.  The  book  will  be 


350      POE:  A  BIBLIOGRAPHIC  STUDY 

true  to  the  best  of  my  abilities.  ...  As  regards  The  Stylus' — that 
is  the  grand  purpose  of  my  life,  from  which  I  have  never  swerved  for  a 
moment.  But  I  cannot  afford  to  risk  anything  by  persistency — and  I 
can  afford  to  wait — at  least  till  I  finish  the  book.  When  this  is  out  I  will 
start  the  Mag. 

It  was  this  book  which  was  advertised  in  "The  Home 
Journal"  as  of  immediate  issue.  Evidently  he  had  com 
pleted  the  task ;  otherwise  such  an  advertisement  would 
not  have  been  inserted.  This  must  have  been  included 
among  the  other  Poe  MSS,  taken  by  Griswold,  and  it  is 
but  right  that  to  him  should  be  given  the  dishonor  of  its 
suppression. 

Already  I  have  dwelled  sufficiently  upon  Poe's  literary 
enemies,  and  on  the  fact  that  others  besides  Griswold  par 
ticipated  in  the  sentiments  expressed  in  the  Ludwig  article ; 
and  it  is  not  possible  altogether  to  excuse  Poe  from  certain 
charges.  In  exculpation  it  can  be  said  that  a  study  of  his 
morbid  mental  state  shows  that  he  was  not  at  all  times  to 
be  held  responsible.  While  this  must  have  been  patent  to 
all  who  associated  with  Poe,  possibly  to  those  who  did  not 
know  him,  such  an  explanation  was  worthy  of  slight 
credence. 

On  all  occasions  Poe  was  the  aggressor:  often  to  his 
credit,  for,  to  one  who  studies  the  literature  of  that  day, 
either  as  originally  published  in  the  many  contemporary 
periodicals,  or  as  selected  and  preserved  in  Duyckinck's 
"Cyclopedia  of  American  Literature,"  much  that  Poe 
wrote,  if  over-severe,  is  undoubtedly  true.  In  favorably 
criticising  Wilmer's  "Quacks  of  Helicon,"  Poe  asserted: 

We  repeat  it :  it  is  the  truth  which  he  has  spoken ;  and  who  shall  con 
tradict  us?  He  has  said  unscrupulously  what  every  reasonable  man 
among  us  has  long  known  to  be  'as  true  as  the  Pentateuch' — that,  as  a 
literary  people,  we  are  one  vast  perambulating  humbug.  He  has  as 
serted  that  we  are  clique-ridden ;  and  who  does  not  smile  at  the  obvious 
truism  of  that  assertion?  He  maintains  that  chicanery,  with  us,  is  a 
far  surer  road  than  talent  to  distinction  in  letters.  Who  gainsays  this? 
The  corrupt  nature  of  our  literary  criticism  has  become  notorious. 
The  intercourse  between  critic  and  publisher,  as  it  now  universally 


POE:  A  BIBLIOGRAPHIC  STUDY      351 

stands,  is  comprised  either  in  the  paying  and  pocketing  of  blackmail, 
as  the  price  of  a  simple  forbearance,  or  in  a  petty  and  contemptible 
bribery,  properly  so  called — a  system  even  more  injurious  than  the 
former  to  the  true  interests  of  the  public,  and  more  degrading  to  the 
buyers  and  sellers  of  good  opinion,  on  account  of  the  more  positive 
service  here  rendered  for  the  consideration  received.  We  laugh  at  the 
denial  of  our  assertions  upon  this  topic:  they  are  infamously  true.  In 
this  charge  of  general  corruption  there  are  undoubtedly  many  noble 
exceptions  to  be  made.  .  .  .  But  these  cases  are  insufficient  to  have 
much  effect  on  the  popular  mistrust :  a  mistrust  heightened  by  a  late 
exposure  of  the  machinations  of  coteries  in  New  York — coteries  which 
at  the  bidding  of  leading  booksellers,  manufacture,  as  required  from 
time,  to  time,  a  pseudo-public  opinion. 

Poe  strongly  intimated  that  Griswold  had  accepted 
money  or,  as  he  expressed  it,  a  "quid  pro  quo"  for  admit 
tance  of  certain  writers  into  his  collections,  and  that  the 
amount  of  space  assigned  them  depended  on  the  sum  of 
money  they  paid.  Naturally,  such  statements  intensified 
the  personal  dislike  that  from  their  first  meeting  had 
existed,  into  that  deep  rooted  hatred  the  evidence  of 
which  is  so  manifest  in  Griswold's  memoir.  Although  Poe 
made  these  statements  regarding  Griswold  openly  and  in 
print  long  before  his  death,  and  on  all  occasions  displayed 
his  contempt,  Griswold  never  openly  resented  it;  on  the 
other  hand,  to  Mrs.  Clemm  apparently  he  exhibited  tender 
solicitude  and  a  desire  to  aid  her  in  her  bereavement. 
Otherwise  he  could  not  possibly  have  obtained  permanent 
and  complete  possession  of  all  Poe's  literary  possessions, 
including  even  his  books  and  private  letters. 

Poe,  in  his  loyalty  to  the  spirit  that,  even  at  that  time, 
was  beginning  to  engender  hatred  between  the  North  and 
South,  was  particularly  bitter  against  the  New  England 
writers,  and  lost  no  opportunity  to  excoriate  and  jibe  at 
those  who  were  so  proud  of  Boston  Common : 

We  know  very  well  that  amongst  a  certain  clique  of  the  Frogpond- 
ians,  there  existed  a  predetermination  to  abuse  us  under  any 
circumstances.  We  knew,  write  what  we  would,  they  would  consider  it 
worthless.  We  knew  that  were  we  to  compose  'Paradise  Lost'  they 
would  pronounce  it  an  indifferent  poem.  It  would  have  been  very  weak 


352      POE:  A  BIBLIOGRAPHIC  STUDY 

indeed  in  us,  then,  to  have  put  ourselves  to  the  trouble  of  attempting 
to  please  these  people.  We  preferred  pleasing  ourselves. 

This,  written  concerning  an  invitation  kindly  intended, 
seriously  reflects  on  Poe,  but  may  be  excused  because  we 
know  that  at  this  time  Poe  was  occasionally  irresponsible, 
and  that  only  in  his  morbid  mood  did  he  show  this 
peculiar  attitude  of  mind.  His  Boston  audience  did  not 
understand,  and  his  jest  cut  deep.  All  evidence  given  by 
Poe's  intimates  makes  us  know  that,  when  himself,  he 
was  at  least  a  gentleman.  The  gauge  of  battle  thus  flung 
was  taken  up  by  the  "Harbinger,"  the  official  organ  of 
Brook  Farm, — a  fiasco  at  communism,  immortalized  in 
Hawthorne's  "The  Blithedale  Romance." 

The  "Harbinger"  was  edited  by  the  "Brook  Farm 
Phalanx."  This  periodical  characterized  Poe  as  seeking: 

Notoriety,  through  a  certain  blackguard  warfare  which  he  has 
been  waging  against  the  poets  and  newspaper  critics  of  New  England, 
and  which  it  would  have  been  more  charitable  to  impute  to  insanity. 

Poe's  answer,  published  in  one  of  the  last  issues  of  "The 
Broadway  Journal,"  was  characteristic: 

The  'Harbinger* — edited  by  The  Brook-Farm  Phalanx' — is  be 
yond  doubt  the  most  reputable  organ  of  the  Crazyites.  .  .  .  What  we 
have  done  to  the  'Harbinger',  or  what  we  have  done  to  'The  Brook- 
Farm  Phalanx'  that  The  Brook-Farm  Phalanx'  should  stop  the 
ordinary  operations  at  Brook  Farm,  for  the  purpose  of  abusing  us,  is  a 
point  we  are  unable  to  comprehend.  If  we  have  done  anything  to 
affront  The  Brook-Farm  Phalanx'  we  will  make  an  apology  forth 
with — provided  The  Brook-Farm  Phalanx'  (which  we  have  a  curi 
osity  to  see)  will  just  step  into  our  office,  which  is  304  Broadway. 

This  "fooling' '  of  Poe  shows  that  he  was  not,  by  ancestry, 
far  removed  from  the  "ould  sod,"  and  that  by  nature  he 
loved  a  fight.  From  what  we  know  of  Poe  through  other 
sources,  he  did  try  to  write  something  worthy  of  his 
audience,  but  could  not,  and,  at  the  last  moment,  was  com 
pelled  to  read  extracts  from  Al  Araaf.  It  is  further  known 
that  he.was  not  in  a  responsible  condition,  then  or  later. 
It  was  about  this  time  that  Poe  wrote  to  Duyckinck:  "I 


POE:  A  BIBLIOGRAPHIC  STUDY      353 

seemed  to  have  just  wakened  from  some  horrible  dream, 
in  which  all  was  confusion  and  suffering.  ...  I  really 
believe  that  I  have  been  mad." 

The  standard  by  which  Poe's  actions  and  moral  charac 
ter  were  to  be  judged,  established  by  Griswold,  remained 
for  many  years  the  measure  of  the  morals  of  the  man. 

While  no  one  attempted  any  thorough  study  either  of 
Poe's  life  or  of  his  writings,  there  frequently  appeared,  either 
in  short  biographical  sketches  or  in  the  prefaces  to  Poe's 
works,  references  to  his  life,  the  main  facts  of  which  were 
always  based  on  Griswold's  statements.  These  for  many 
years  remained  unquestioned  by  the  reading  public,  in 
spite  of  monographs  either  protesting  against  unfair  judg 
ments  or  filled  with  denials  so  sweeping  that  they  did  not 
cover  all  the  facts.  These  partisan  statements  in  no  way 
lessened  the  settled  conviction  as  to  Poe's  immoral  life. 
Gradually  the  judgment  became  firmly  established  that,  in 
spite  of  their  brilliancy,  possibly  because  of  it,  all  of  Poe's 
work  was  the  reflex  of  a  brain  diseased  or  drugged.  Certain 
of  Poe's  contemporaries  and  close  associates,  such  as 
Briggs  of  the  "Broadway  Journal,"  added  their  testimony 
to  that  of  Griswold.  In  the  preface  to  the  first  English 
illustrated  edition  of  Poe's  works,  published  in  1858, 
Briggs  prefaced  the  "Poems"  with  this  statement: 

A  close  study  of  his  works  will  reveal  the  fact,  which  may  serve  in 
some  degree  to  remove  this  embarrassment,  that  there  is  nowhere  dis 
coverable  in  them  a  consciousness  of  moral  responsibility.  .  .  .  The 
Lenore  whose  loss  he  deplored,  was  a  being  fair  to  the  eye,  like  Un 
dine,  without  a  soul.  .  .  .  Some  of  the  biographers  of  Poe  have  been 
harshly  judged  for  the  view  given  of  his  character,  and  it  has  naturally 
been  supposed  that  private  pique  led  to  the  exaggeration  of  his 
personal  defects. 

But  such  imputations  are  unjust:  a  truthful  delineation  of  his 
career  would  give  a  darker  hue  to  his  character  than  it  has  received 
from  his  biographers.  In  fact  he  has  been  more  fortunate  than  most 
poets  in  his  historians.  Lowell  and  Willis  have  sketched  him  with  a 
gentleness  and  a  reverent  feeling  for  his  genius:  and  Griswold,  his 
literary  executor,  in  his  fuller  biography,  has  generously  suppressed 
much  that  he  might  have  given. 


354      POE:  A  BIBLIOGRAPHIC  STUDY 

This  Briggs  is  one,  among  others,  whom  Griswold  so 
considerately  shielded  from  the  sting  of  Poe's  sarcasms 
when,  as  editor  of  Poe's  collected  works,  he  rewrote  and 
softened  Poe's  estimate  of  "Harry  Franco,"  the  nom  de 
plume  under  which  Briggs  wrote.  Briggs'  gratuitous  insult 
to  Poe  was  a  kindly  tribute  paid  to  the  memory  of  Gris 
wold  by  one  whom  he  had  considerately  protected. 

The  statements  of  Griswold  and  his  friends  have  been 
accepted  without  question  by  European  critics.  We  may 
take  pride  in  the  fact  that  Poe  is  recognized  by  them  as  a 
great  story  teller  and  poet,  and  that,  in  their  estimation, 
he  ranks  with  certain  of  their  writers — not  with  those  whom 
they  most  highly  regard.  This  toleration  and  recognition 
is,  however,  tinctured  with  a  certain  condescension.  The 
estimates  of  his  character,  and  of  the  things  he  wrote,  are 
not  pleasant  reading.  This  attitude  was  taken  not  neces 
sarily  because  Poe  was  an  American,  but  because,  being  the 
man  he  was,  both  by  reason  of  his  strength  and  his  weak 
nesses,  he  was  misunderstood  and  misrepresented.  That 
this  was  done  ignorantly  and  not  viciously  does  not  make  it 
more  excusable.  For  this  reason,  I  will  mention  certain  of 
the  foreign  biographers  before  resuming  a  discussion  of 
those  who,  in  recent  years,  have  elucidated  the  facts,  and 
have  more  leniently  judged  the  many  things  alleged. 

In  England  Poe  was  regarded  as  a  monster  of  vice,  one 
whose  evil  life  placed  him  beyond  the  pale  of  public  dis 
cussion.  The  details  of  his  life  were  said  to  be  so  shocking 
that  they  could  only  be  suggested.  It  was  assumed  that  a 
full  statement  was  not  a  thing  wise  to  give.  Every  refer 
ence  to  his  writings,  and  the  prefaces  to  his  published 
works,  reeked  with  foul  insinuations,  as  if  the  facts  could 
not  bear  detailed  repetition.  He  was  classed  among  the 
degenerates,  or  worse;  and,  when  details  were  given,  this 
publication  was  excused  for  the  reason  that  the  facts  might 
teach  a  moral ;  or  wonder  was  expressed  that  such  unde- 


POE:  A  BIBLIOGRAPHIC  STUDY      355 

niably  good  work  could  have  emanated  from  so  vicious 
an  individual,  or  from  one  whose  brain  was  diseased. 

That  this  was  the  fully  accepted  belief  is  evidenced  both 
in  the  prefaces  to  Poe's  writings  and  in  the  contemporary 
magazines  of  that  time. 

The  "London  Athenaeum"  gave  this  judgment: 

In  most  of  Edgar  Poe's  tales  there  is  either  an  extravagance,  as 
though  they  had  been  written  by  a  man  on  the  verge  of  delirium 
tremens,  or  else  a  labored  monotony,  as  though  his  resources  were  be 
ginning  to  run  dry.  The  poems,  with  their  strange  unwholesome  vigor 
(if  such  things  can  be)  speak  for  themselves.  Their  writer,  apart  from 
his  works,  had  best  be  forgotten.  Edgar  Poe's  stories  seem,  all  of  them, 
to  have  been  written  under  the  inspiration  of  gin-and-water. 

The  first  Englishman  who  attempted  to  stem  this  full 
flood  of  ignorant  criticism  was  Hannay,  but  his  assertions 
were  met  with  jeers  of  derision ;  it  is  not  certain,  even  at  the 
present  time,  that  Poe  is  there  judged  so  kindly,  nor  are  his 
works  so  fully  appreciated,  as  in  either  America  or  France. 

"Fraser's  Magazine"  of  August,  1857,  contained  a  criti 
cism  of  Poe  based  on  a  review  of  "The  Poetical  Works 
of  Edgar  Allan  Poe :  With  a  Notice  of  his  Life  and  Genius. 
By  James  Hannay." 

We  must  go  back  to  the  days  of  the  early  dramatists — of  Marlowe, 
Dekker,  Ford,  Massinger,  and  Otway — before  we  shall  find  any  par 
allel  to  the  wild  and  morbid  genius  and  the  reckless  and  miserable  life 
and  death  of  Edgar  Allan  .Poe.  Never  was  there  a  sadder  story  than 
that  of  this  wayward  and  infatuated  youth,  his  wasted  opportunities, 
his  estranged  friends,  his  poverty  stricken  manhood,  his  drunken 
degradation,  his  gradual  sinking  lower  and  lower  into  the  depths  of 
profligacy  and  misery  till  at  last  he  died  of  delirium  tremens  at  the 
early  age  of  39.  And  his  poetical  genius,  his  extraordinary  analytical 
powers,  his  imagination  that  revolved  in  the  realm  of  the  awful,  the 
weird  and  the  horrible ;  his  utter  lack  of  truth  and  honor,  his  inveterate 
selfishness,  his  inordinate  vanity  and  insane  folly — all  go  to  make  a 
picture  so  strange,  so  sad,  that  it  cannot  be  easily  forgotten.  This 
volume  unhappily  sets  out  with  a  biographical  notice  of  Poe,  written 
by  Mr.  James  Hannay,  which  we  have  read  with  considerable  sur 
prise.  Should  any  man  of  sense  and  taste,  not  acquainted  with  Poe,  be 
so  unfortunate  as  to  look  on  Mr.  Hannay's  preface  before  reading  the 
poetry,  it  is  extremely  probable  that  he  will  throw  the  book  into  the 
fire  in  indignation  at  the  self  conceit  and  affected  smartness  by  which 
the  preface  is  characterized. 


356      POE:  A  BIBLIOGRAPHIC  STUDY 

Hannay's  defense  was  rather  apologetic  and  was  by  no 
means  fulsome  in  its  praise  of  Poe;  evidently  facts  were 
lacking  on  which  to  base  a  full  statement. 

In  1858,  the  "Edinburgh  Review,"  in  reviewing  Gris- 
wold's  four- volume  publication,  again  expressed  the  English 
estimate  of  Poe.  It  was  more  elaborate  in  its  denunciation. 
That  such  a  periodical  would  have  assumed  a  tone  so  bitter 
is  evidence  of  the  fact  that  it  believed  itself  fully  justified. 
Unfortunately  the  article  was  not  only  quoted,  but  was 
republished  in  full  by  various  periodicals.  This  must  have 
been  regarded  as  a  definitive  statement  both  in  England 
and  America.  I  have  already  referred  to  this  publication, 
but  will  quote  it  more  fully : 

Edgar  Allan  Poe  was  incontestably  one  of  the  most  worthless  per 
sons  of  whom  we  have  any  record  in  the  world  of  letters.  Many  authors 
have  been  as  idle;  many  as  improvident;  some  as  drunken  and  dissi 
pated;  and  a  few,  perhaps,  as  treacherous  and  ungrateful;  but  he 
seems  to  have  succeeded  in  attracting  and  combining,  in  his  own 
person,  all  the  floating  vices  which  genius  has  hitherto  shown  itself 
capable  of  grasping  in  its  widest  and  most  eccentric  orbit.  Yet  his 
chances  of  success  at  the  outset  of  life  were  great  and  manifold. 
Nature  was  bountiful  to  him;  bestowing  upon  him  a  pleasing  person 
and  excellent  talents.  Fortune  favored  him;  education  and  society 
expanded  and  polished  his  intellect,  and  improved  his  manner  into  an 
insinuating  and  almost  irresistible  address.  Upon  these  foundations 
he  took  his  stand;  became  early  very  popular  among  his  associates, 
and  might  have  erected  a  laudable  reputation,  had  he  possessed 
ordinary  prudence.  But  he  defied  his  good  genius.  There  was  a  per 
petual  strife  between  him  and  virtue,  in  which  virtue  was  never  tri 
umphant.  His  moral  stamen  was  weak,  and  demanded  resolute  treat 
ment;  but  instead  of  seeking  a  bracing  and  healthy  atmosphere,  he 
preferred  the  impurer  airs,  and  gave  way  readily  to  those  low  and 
vulgar  appetites,  which  infallibly  relax  and  press  down  the  victim  to 
the  lowest  state  of  social  abasement.  The  usual  prizes  of  life — repu 
tation,  competency,  friendship,  love — presented  themselves  in  turn; 
but  they  were  all  in  turn  neglected  or  forfeited — repeatedly,  in  fact, 
abandoned  under  the  detestable  passion  for  drink.  He  outraged  his 
benefactor,  he  deceived  his  friends,  he  sacrificed  his  love,  he  be 
came  a  beggar,  a  vagabond,  the  slanderer  of  a  woman,  the  delirious 
drunken  pauper  of  a  common  hospital — hated  by  some,  despised  by 
others,  and  avoided  by  all  respectable  men.  He  was,  as  we  have  said,  a 
blackguard  of  undeniable  type.  We  say  all  this  very  unwillingly;  for 
we  admire  very  sincerely  many  things  that  Mr.  Poe  has  produced.  We 


POE:  A  BIBLIOGRAPHIC  STUDY      357 

are  willing  to  believe  that  there  may  have  been,  as  Mrs.  Osgood  has 
stated,  an  amiable  side  to  his  character  and  that  his  mother-in-law 
had  cause  to  lament  his  loss.  We  learn,  moreover,  from  Mr.  Willis, 
that  at  one  time,  in  the  latter  portion  of  his  life,  'he  was  invariably 
punctual  and  industrious.'  The  testimony  of  that  gentleman  and  of 
Mr.  Lowell  (both  men  of  eminence  in  literature),  tempted  us  at  first 
to  suspend  our  opinion  of  the  author;  but  the  weight  of  evidence  on 
the  darker  side  proved  overwhelming,  and  left  us  no  choice  but  to 
admit  and  to  stigmatize  with  our  most  decided  reprobation  those 
misdeeds  that  seem  to  have  constituted  almost  the  only  history  of  his 
short  career.  His  was,  as  Mr.  Griswold  states,  a  'shrewd  and  naturally 
unamiable  character.'  We  refuse  our  assent  to  the  argument  of  one  of 
his  advocates,  that  'his  whole  nature  was  reversed  by  a  single  glass  of 
wine.'  We  lean  to  the  ancient  proverb,  which  asserts  that  Truth  is 
made  manifest  upon  convivial  occasions. 

The  writer  suggests  a  curious  revival  of  the  "Longfellow 
War"  by  gratuitously  introducing  the  following  statement : 

We  are  not  able  to  ascertain  the  precise  date  at  which  he  borrowed 
a  poem  from  Professor  Longfellow,  imitated  it,  and  afterward  de 
nounced  the  author  as  a  Plagiarist  from  himself,  the  Simulator.  The 
mimic  poem  is  called  The  Haunted  House,'  and  is  one  of  Poe's  best 
pieces  of  verse.  The  original  is  The  Beleaguered  City,'  of  Mr.  Long 
fellow. 

It  is  probable  that  in  the  use  of  the  words  "The  Haunted 
House,"  this  writer  refers  to  The  Haunted  Palace,  and  this 
error  may  be  due  to  confusing  this  poem  with  The  De 
serted  House  of  Tennyson,  which  is  an  embodiment  of  a 
similar  idea ; — one  typify  ing  death,  the  other,  not  death,  but 
a  disordered  mind.  That  either  bears  the  slightest  resem 
blance,  in  basic  idea  or  in  expressed  description,  to  The 
Beleaguered  City,  is  not  possible.  If  one  poem  suggested,  or 
was  in  any  way  the  prototype  of  the  other,  the  originator 
was  Poe.  The  Haunted  Palace  was  first  published  in  the 
"American  Musuem"  for  April,  1839,  and  it  is  very  certain 
that  Poe  did  not  borrow  the  MS.  from  Longfellow,  as 
suggested.  The  Beleaguered  City  is  equally  remarkable  both 
for  its  underlying  thought  and  its  marvelous  word- 
cadence;  further  than  this,  the  poems  have  nothing  in 
common,  though  apparently  at  one  time,  Poe  believed 
that  Longfellow  "imitated."  The  Beleaguered  City  was  also 


358      POE:  A  BIBLIOGRAPHIC  STUDY 

published  in  1839,  but  after  the  appearance  of  The  Haunted 
Palace. 

The  one-sidedness  of  the  delineation  of  Poe  seems  to 
have  impressed  the  reviewer  and,  while  he  does  not  ques 
tion  Griswold's  statements,  he  seems  to  feel  conscious  of 
the  possibility  of  the  existence  of  a  germ  of  good — if  only 
it  could  be  discovered. 

We  feel,  even  in  the  case  of  Mr.  Poe,  that  it  would  have  been  desir 
able  if  a  fuller  biography  had  accompanied  his  works.  Honest  and 
able,  so  far  as  it  goes,  it  leaves  us  without  information  on  many  mat 
ters  from  which  much  might  have  been  gathered  to  form  an  accurate 
judgment.  Perhaps,  after  all,  we  are  copying  the  deformities  only  of 
the  man,  at  a  time  when  we  are  anxious  to  submit  all  that  was  good 
as  well  as  all  that  was  bad.  The  roughnesses  that  were  so  conspicuous 
on  the  surface  of  Poe  s  character  would  naturally  attract  the  notice 
of  his  biographer  in  the  first  instance.  But,  underneath,  was  there 
nothing  to  tell  of? — no  cheer iness  in  the  boy — no  casual  acts  of  kind 
ness — no  adhesion  to  old  friendships — no  sympathy  with  the  poor  and 
unhappy,  that  might  have  been  brought  forward  as  indicative  of  his 
better  nature.  .  .  .  For  no  man  is  thoroughly  evil.  There  must  be 
slumbering  virtues — good  intentions  undeveloped — even  good  actions, 
claiming  to  have  a  place  on  record.  .  .  .  The  influence  of  his  faults 
were  limited,  and  the  penalty  he  alone  had  to  bear.  But  the  pleasure 
arising  from  his  writings  has  been  shared  by  many  thousand  people. 
In  speaking  of  himself  personally,  we  have  felt  bound  to  express  our 
opinions  without  any  subterfuge.  But  we  are  not  insensible  that, 
while  he  grasped  and  pressed  hardly  upon  some  individuals  with  one 
hand,  with  the  other  he  scattered  his  gifts  in  abundance  to  the  public. 

In  taking  the  statements  of  Griswold  in  preference  to 
those  of  Lowell  and  Willis,  this  reviewer  naturally  assumed 
that,  in  inserting  a  "Memoir"  into  the  Works  of  Poe,  Gris 
wold  was  only  performing  a  painful  duty,  and  that  at  least 
he  had  not  magnified  Poe's  faults. 

For  this  reason  no  odium  was  attached  to  Griswold  be 
cause  of  his  arraignment  of  Poe.  His  memoir  was  believed 
to  be  as  kindly  a  statement  as  the  facts  permitted,  and 
that  in  carrying  out  the  unpleasant  task  that  had  been 
delegated  to  him,  it  was  Griswold's  sense  of  duty,  which 
had  forced  from  him  these  damaging  statements. 

It  is  curious  to  note  changing  customs  which  character- 


POE:  A  BIBLIOGRAPHIC  STUDY      359 

ize  different  times.  Very  lately  intense  indignation  was  ex 
pressed  because,  in  a  recently  published  autobiography, 
a  statement  was  printed  which  reflected  on  Stevenson. 
The  propriety,  not  the  truth,  of  this  statement  was  ques 
tioned,  and,  so  vigorous  were  the  denunciations,  that  sup 
pression  was  necessary.  Yet  the  insertion  of  virulent  state 
ments  in  Poe's  own  works,  caused  but  little  comment. 

These  Griswold  statements  were  republished  by  many 
periodicals  both  in  England  and  America,  and  necessarily 
they  represented  the  estimate  in  which  Poe  was  held. 

Among  foreign  critics,  the  writings  of  Poe  have  ap 
pealed  especially  to  those  of  France,  and  it  is  among  the 
French  that  his  earliest  and  most  earnest  literary  admirers 
were  found.  It  is  also  among  the  writers  of  this  nation  that 
the  Griswold  charges  most  fully  have  been  accepted. These 
charges  in  no  way  detracted  from  the  pleasure  Poe's  work 
gave  them;  but  that  they  have  essentially  misunderstood 
and  misjudged  Poe,  the  man,  is  a  serious  matter. 

Even  in  America,  the  high  position  assigned  to  Poe  is 
occasionally  questioned,  and  a  tendency  is  apparent  that 
would  deny  his  Americanism,  and  that  would  class  him  as 
a  distinct  species  with  a  French  nomenclature.  Occasion 
ally  he  is  called  a  "decadent"  because,  probably,  of  a  cer 
tain  French  School  which  has  enthusiastically  praised  his 
work,  and  who  have  modelled  their  own  upon  a  portion  of 
it.  Nor  can  it  be  said  that  he  was  German  by  reason  of  the 
terror  and  horror  which  characterize  certain  of  his  stories. 
Still  less  would  the  English  claim  him,  even  though  his 
stories  of  ratiocination  exhibit  pure  intellect.  America 
hesitates  to  accept  him  in  the  same  sense  that  she  does 
Cooper  and  Irving, — and  Walt  Whitman.  Poe  is  a  writer 
without  a  country,  and  no  nation,  nor  age,  nor  period,  may 
claim  him.  Although  his  domain  of  letters  is  narrow,  no 
one  has,  and  probably  no  one  in  future  ages  ever  will 


360      POE:  A  BIBLIOGRAPHIC  STUDY 

equal  him  in  the  expression  of  purely  intellectual  clarity 
of  thought  and  in  verbal  resonance. 

That  he  is  regarded  with  special  favor  by  the  French  is 
not  true,  although  before  his  death,  a  few  of  his  stories 
were  accepted  at  their  full  value.  By  certain  French  writers 
he  is  regarded  as  a  master. 

The  great  majority  of  their  critics  wonder  and  admire, 
but  they  do  not  accept  him  as  a  peer  in  comparison  with 
their  best  writers.  Nowhere  has  he  been  more  severely 
condemned. 

His  followers  have  proved  his  worst  enemies,  for  their 
praises  rest  on  certain  of  his  qualities  that  are  most  ab 
normal.  Neither  his  life  nor  many  of  his  best  qualities  have 
been  fairly  exhibited.  Rather,  they  have  set  forth  his  ab 
normalities,  and  they  have  made  of  him  a  monster: — at 
least  a  spectacle  to  be  imitated  by  some,  but  to  be  shunned 
by  all  who  are  not  classed  among  the  decadents.  His  chief 
exponent,  Baudelaire,  who  translated  his  work  and  who 
set  him  up  as  a  divinity,  to  be  invoked  and  to  be  wor 
shipped  as  a  god,  has  seriously  injured  the  standing  of  Poe 
among  the  greater  French  writers. 

As  far  as  Baudelaire  and  his  School  are  concerned,  evi 
dence  is  not  required,  and  explanations  are  unnecessary. 

Baudelaire  apparently  regarded  Griswold's  criticism  of 
Poe  as  typically  American,  and  that  it  was  in  consonance 
with  our  national  standards.  He  follows  the  beaten  tracks, 
expatiating  on  Poe's  excellent  family  and  gentle  birth,  not 
forgetting  that  his  grandfather  was  a  general  in  the  Revo 
lutionary  War  and  an  intimate  friend  of  Lafayette,  and 
that  his  grandmother  was  related  to  Admiral  McBride  who, 
in  turn,  "was  allied  to  the  noblest  English  houses." 

I  suspect  that  the  last  statement  was  supplied  by  the 
Englishman  on  whose  translation,  inserted  as  a  preface  to 
the  Hotten  publication  of  Baudelaire's  Works,  I  depend. 

Baudelaire  dimly  realized  that  Poe  was  born  with  an  in- 


POE:  A  BIBLIOGRAPHIC  STUDY      361 

heritance,  perhaps  not  of  evil,  but  one  that  was  fraught 
with  disaster.  He  psychologizes : 

There  are,  in  the  history  of  literature,  many  analogous  destinies  of 
actual  damnation, — many  men  who  bear  the  word  Luckless  written  in 
mysterious  characters  in  the  sinuous  folds  of  their  foreheads.  The 
blind  angel  of  Expiation  forever  hovers  around  them,  punishing  them 
with  rods  for  the  edification  of  others.  It  is  in  vain  that  their  lives  ex 
hibit  talents,  virtues  or  graces.  Society  has  for  them  a  special  anathema, 
accusing  them  even  of  those  infirmities  which  its  own  persecutions 
have  generated.  What  would  Hoffman  not  have  done  to  disarm 
Destiny?  what  Balzac  not  attempted  to  compel  Fortune?  Does  there, 
then,  exist  some  diabolic  Providence  which  prepares  misery  from  the 
cradle ;  which  throws,  and  throws  with  premeditation,  these  spiritual 
and  angelic  natures  into  hostile  ranks,  as  martyrs  were  once  hurled 
into  the  arena?  Can  there,  then,  be  holy  souls  destined  to  the  sacri 
ficial  altar,  compelled  to  march  to  death  and  glory  across  the  very 
ruins  of  their  lives?  Will  the  nightmare  of  gloom  eternally  besiege 
these  chosen  souls?  .  .  .  Their  destiny  is  written  in  their  very  con 
stitution;  sparkling  with  a  sinister  brilliancy  in  their  looks  and  in  their 
gestures;  circulating  through  their  arteries  in  every  globule  of  their 
blood.  .  .  .  I  bring  today  a  new  legend  to  support  this  theory ;  today, 
I  add  a  new  saint  to  the  holy  army  of  martyrs,  for  I  have  to  write  the 
history  of  one  of  those  illustrious  unfortunates,  over-rich  with  poetry 
and  passion,  who  came  after  so  many  others,  to  serve  in  this  dull 
world  the  rude  apprenticeship  of  genius  among  inferior  souls. 

A  lamentable  tragedy  this  Life  of  Edgar  Poe !  His  death  a  horrible 
unravelling  of  the  drama,  where  horror  is  besmutched  with  trivial 
ities  !  All  the  documents  I  have  studied  strengthen  me  in  the  convic 
tion  that  the  United  States  was  for  Poe  only  a  vast  prison  through 
which  he  ran,  hither  and  thither,  with  the  feverish  agitation  of  a  being 
created  to  breathe  in  a  purer  world  [Paris?],  only  a  wild  barbarous 
country — barbarous  and  gas-lit — and  that  his  interior  life,  spiritual 
as  a  poet,  spiritual  even  as  a  drunkard,  was  but  one  perpetual  effort 
to  escape  the  influence  of  the  antipathetical  atmosphere.  .  .  .  We 
might  say  that  from  the  impious  love  of  Liberty  has  been  born  a  new 
tyranny — the  tyranny  of  fools — which,  in  its  insensible  ferocity,  re 
sembles  the  idol  of  Juggernaut. 

Neiteer  Baudelaire  nor  certain  of  his  confreres  were  in  a 
position  to  throw  stones  even  had  they  been  so  inclined. 
Accepting  as  true  all  that  Griswold  alleged,  they  only  made 
answer,  "What  Then?"  Certainly  it  was  not  Poe  who  was 
at  fault,  but  this  parvenu  of  a  nation,  incapable  of  appre 
ciating  genius. 

Once  more  I  repeat  my  firm  conviction  that  Edgar  Poe  and  his 
country  were  never  upon  a  level.  The  United  States  is  a  gigantic  and 


362      POE:  A  BIBLIOGRAPHIC  STUDY 

infantine  country,  not  unnaturally  jealous  of  the  old  continent.  Proud 
of  its  material  development,  abnormal  and  almost  monstrous,  this 
newcomer  into  history  has  a  naive  faith  in  the  all-powerfulness  of  in 
dustry,  being  firmly  convinced,  moreover,  like  some  unfortunates 
amongst  ourselves,  that  it  will  finish  by  devouring  the  devil  himself. 
Time  and  money  are  there  held  in  extraordinary  esteem;  material 
activity,  exaggerated  almost  to  the  proportions  of  a  national  mania, 
leaves  room  in  their  minds  for  little  that  is  not  of  the  earth. 

Baudelaire  attempted  no  critical  discussion  either  of  the 
facts  of  Poe's  life,  or  of  his  works,  and  accepted  everything 
both  as  related  to  his  private  life  and  all  that  he  wrote, 
even  Eureka,  as  that  of  a  master,  though  a  master  over 
whelmed  with  drugs  and  drink. 

Now,  it  is  incontestable  that,  like  those  fugitive  and  striking  im 
pressions — most  striking  in  their  repetition  when  they  have  been 
most  fugitive — which  sometimes  follow  an  exterior  symptom,  such  as 
the  striking  of  a  clock,  a  note  of  music,  or  a  forgotten  perfume,  and 
which  are  themselves  followed  by  an  event  similar  to  the  event  already 
known,  and  which  occupy  the  same  place  in  a  chain  previously  re 
vealed — like  those  singular  periodical  dreams  which  frequent  our 
slumbers — there  exist  in  drunkenness  not  only  the  entanglements  of 
dreams,  but  whole  series  of  reasonings,  which  have  need  to  reproduce 
themselves,  of  the  medium  which  has  given  them  birth.  If  the  reader 
has  followed  me  without  repugnance,  he  has  already  divined  my 
conclusion.  I  believe  that,  in  many  cases,  not  certainly  in  all,  the  intoxi 
cation  of  Poe  was  a  mnemonic  means,  a  method  of  work,  a  method 
energetic  and  fatal,  but  appropriate  to  his  passionate  nature.  The  poet 
has  learned  to  drink  as  the  laborious  author  exercises  himself  in  rilling 
note  books.  He  could  not  resist  the  desire  of  finding  again  those  visions, 
marvelous  or  awful — those  subtle  conceptions  which  he  had  met  be 
fore  in  a  preceding  tempest;  they  were  old  acquaintances  which  im 
peratively  attracted  him,  and  to  renew  his  knowledge  of  them,  he  took 
a  road  most  dangerous,  but  most  direct.  The  works  that  give  us  so 
much  pleasure  today  were,  in  reality,  the  cause  of  his  death.  .  .  . 
Upon  the  heart  of  this  literature,  where  the  air  is  rarified,  the  mind 
can  feel  that  vague  anguish,  that  fear  prompt  to  tears,  that  sickness 
of  the  heart,  which  dwells  in  places  vast  and  strange.  Like  our  Eugene 
Delacroix,  who  has  elevated  his  art  to  the  height  of  grand  poetry, 
Edgar  Poe  loves  to  move  his  figures  upon  a  ground  of  green  or  violet 
where  the  phosphorescence  of  putrefaction,  and  the  odour  of  the  hur 
ricane,  reveal  themselves.  Nature  inanimate  participates  of  the  nature 
of  living  beings,  and,  like  it,  trembles  with  a  shiver,  supernatural  and 
galvanic.  Space  is  fathomed  by  opium;  for  opium  gives  a  magic  tinge 
to  all  the  hues,  and  causes  every  noise  to  vibrate  with  the  most  sonor 
ous  magnificence.  Sometimes  glorious  visions,  full  of  light  and  color, 
suddenly  unroll  themselves  in  its  landscape;  and  on  the  furthest 


POE:  A  BIBLIOGRAPHIC  STUDY      363 

horizon  line  we  see  oriental  cities  and  palaces,  mist  covered,  in  the 
distance,  which  the  sun  floods  with  golden  showers. 

Baudelaire  may  speak  for  himself  and  his  school ;  these 
apparently  looked  for  inspiration  to  such  sources,  and 
imitated  the  "Germanic  horrors"  occasionally  indulged  in 
by  Poe;  however,  I  would  like  to  have  the  prescription  for 
the  mixture,  or  know  the  brand  of  the  beverage,  that  in 
spired  Poe  when  at  his  best.  Drink  and  drugs,  after  their 
first  stimulating  or  soothing  effect,  stupify.  Their  only 
value  is  in  reviving  those  physically  exhausted  and  to  re 
lieve  mental  unrest..  They  only  stimulate  and  distort. 

Again  quoting  from  Baudelaire : 

Diderot  is  a  blood-red  author ;  Poe  is  a  writer  of  the  nerves — even 
something  more — and  the  best  I  know.  .  .  .  No  man  has  told  with 
greater  magic  the  exceptions  of  human  life  and  nature,  the  ardors  of  the 
curiosities  of  convalescence,  the  close  of  seasons  charged  with  ener 
vating  splendors,  sultry  weather,  humid  and  misty,  where  the  south 
wind  softens  and  distends  the  nerves,  like  the  chords  of  an  instrument ; 
where  the  eyes  are  filled  with  tears  that  come  not  from  the  heart ;  hal 
lucinations  at  first  giving  place  to  doubt,  soon  convinced  and  full  of 
reasons  as  a  book;  absurdity  installing  itself  in  the  intellect,  and  gov 
erning  it  with  a  crushing  logic;  hysteria  usurping  the  place  of  will,  a 
contradiction  established  between  the  nerves  and  the  mind,  and  mien 
out  of  all  accord  expressing  grief  by  laughter.  He  analyzes  them  where 
they  are  most  fugitive;  he  poises  the  imponderable,  and  describes  in 
that  minute  and  scientific  manner,  whose  effects  are  terrible,  all  that 
imaginary  world  which  floats  around  the  nervous  man,  and  conducts 
him  on  to  evil. 

Although  Baudelaire  did  not  deny  any  of  Griswold's 
allegations — he  had  not  the  facts,  nor  did  he  feel  the 
necessity  of  any  explanation — h  edid  resent,  with  Gallic 
venom,  the  use  Griswold  made  of  his  editorial  authority  : 

The  pedagogue  vampire  has  defamed  his  friend  at  full  length  in  an 
enormous  article — wearisome  and  crammed  with  hatred — which  was 
prefixed  to  the  posthumous  edition  of  Poe's  works.  Are  there  then  no 
regulations  in  America  to  keep  curs  out  of  cemeteries  ? 

This  memoir  concludes : 

The  characters  of  Poe,  or  rather  the  character  of  Poe,  the  man  with 
sharpened  faculties,  the  man  with  nerves  relaxed,  the  man  whose  ar 
dent  and  patient  will  bids  defiance  to  difficulties,  whose  glance  is  stead 
fastly  fixed,  with  the  rigidness  of  a  sword,  upon  objects  that  increase 


364      POE:  A  BIBLIOGRAPHIC  STUDY 

the  more,  the  more  he  gazes — this  man  is  Poe  himself;  and  his  women, 
all  luminous  and  sickly,  dying  of  a  thousand  unknown  ills,  and  speak 
ing  with  a  voice  resembling  music,  are  still  himself;  or,  at  least,  by 
their  strange  aspirations,  by  their  knowledge,  by  their  incurable 
melancholy,  they  participate  strongly  in  the  nature  of  their  creator. 
As  to  his  ideal  woman — his  Titanide,  she  reveals  herself  under  different 
names,  scattering  in  his,  alas !  too  scanty  poems,  portraits,  or  rather 
modes  of  feeling  beauty,  which  the  temperament  of  the  author  brings 
together,  and  confounds  in  a  unity,  vague  but  sensible,  and  where, 
more  delicately,  perhaps,  than  elsewhere,  glows  that  insatiable  passion 
for  the  beautiful  which  forms  his  greatest  claim,  that  is  to  say,  the 
essence  of  all  his  claims,  to  the  affection  and  respect  of  poets. 

While  it  is  necessary  to  lay  at  the  door  of  Baudelaire  the 
underlying  idea,  if  there  be  one,  which  this  long  and  intri 
cate  quotation  would  seem  to  indicate,  it  would  not  be 
fair  to  attribute  to  him  all  the  sins  of  commission  that  are 
found  in  this  involved  paragraph;  and,  having  heard 
Baudelaire  commended,  I  prefer  to  attribute  much  of  this 
cacophony  to  his  translator. 

Baudelaire  may  find  all  this  apropos  of  Poe,  but  where 
he  made  this  discovery,  or  his  reasons  for  drawing  such 
deductions,  puzzles  me.  I  rather  suspect  that  such 
thoughts  were  the  result  of  a  vermuth  dream. 

Lauvriere  has  placed  upon  Poe  a  brand  more  disfiguring 
than  that  of  Griswold ;  for  it  has  been  assumed  that  Lauv- 
riere's  statement  was  only  made  after  a  careful  study,  a 
full  knowledge  of  the  facts  of  Poe's  life,  and,  above  all, 
that  it  was  without  prejudice.  Thus  handicapped  it  will 
be  a  difficult  task  fairly  to  weigh  the  evidence  on  which 
the  judgment  of  future  biographers  must  rest. 

EDGAR  POE  :  Sa  Vie,  et  Son  Oeuvre.  Etude  de  Psychologic 
Pathologique,  Par  Emile  Lauvriere.  Professeur  agrege 
au  lycee  de  Charlemagne,  Docteur  [d]es  lettres.  Paris. 
Felix  Alcan,  Editeur.  1904. 

This  work  by  Lauvriere,  the  standard  Continental  life 
of  Poe,  is  not  only  the  French  authority  on  all  that  con- 


POE:  A  BIBLIOGRAPHIC  STUDY      365 

cerns  Poe's  abnormal  psychology,  but,  by  many  American 
and  English  writers,  its  dicta  are  quoted  as  authoritative 
scientific  statements.  Whether  they  should  be  so  accepted 
must  be  determined  by  an  investigation  of  the  qualifica 
tions  of  Lauvriere  to  undertake  this  important  pro 
nouncement,  and  of  the  soundness  and  fairness  of  his 
judgment. 

No  English  translation  of  this  work  has  been  made  and, 
for  this  reason,  at  times,  I  have  found  it  difficult  fully  to 
comprehend  Lauvriere's  statements.  His  use  of  scientific 
terms  is  confusing  because,  not  being  fully  familiar  with 
their  technical  value,  he  has  not  always  made  plain  those 
finer  distinctions  that  an  alienist  would  have  drawn.  In 
addition  to  this,  certain  of  his  statements  are  so  grandilo 
quently  phrased,  and  so  abound  in  hyperbole,  that  a  literal 
translation  is  not  always  possible.  I  can  only  vouch  for 
the  fact  that  I  have  made  a  painstaking  effort :  I  may  not 
always  have  arrived  at  the  proper  renditions  and  I  may 
not,  in  all  instances,  have  made  plain  the  finer  shades 
of  meaning  Lauvriere  intended.  My  referees — excellent 
French  scholars — have  not  fully  agreed  among  themselves 
as  to  just  what  Lauvriere  intended  by  certain  of  his 
scientific  statements.  On  the  whole,  his  meaning  is  plain, 
and  his  general  conclusions  are  not  difficult  to  under 
stand.  In  addition  to  the  rendering  of  obscure  passages,  or 
words,  into  such  phrases  as  the  English  language  allows, 
I  will,  where  for  clarity  it  seems  necessary,  add  the 
original  text. 

Lauvriere's  book  extends  over  seven  hundred  pages. 
The  first  three  hundred  detail  Poe's  life;  the  other  four 
hundred  contain  a  discussion  of  his  writings. 

In  both  the  first  and  second  portions  of  this  critical 
study,  Lauvriere  has  formulated  theories  by  which  he 
attempts  to  solve  certain  problems  of  Poe's  life,  and  to 
explain  the  peculiarities  which  he  believes  to  be  charac- 


366      POE:  A  BIBLIOGRAPHIC  STUDY 

teristic  of  much  that  Poe  wrote.  Accepting  as  true  all  that 
Griswold  alleged,  Lauvriere  has  attempted  to  establish  a 
thesis  that  demonstrates  an  inter-relation  between  the 
abnormalities  described  and  the  things  that  he  asserts  Poe 
wrote  during  the  time  his  brain  was  poisoned  by  stimu 
lants,  or  narcotized  by  drugs. 

His  conclusion  that  Poe  became  a  "madman"  because  of 
a  primarily  disordered  brain,  diseased  but  stimulated  by 
alcohol,  or  hallucinated  by  opium,  requires  investigation. 

Lauvriere's  psychological  studies  are  not  confined  to 
one  section.  They  are  indiscriminately  scattered  through 
more  than  seven  hundred  pages.  Although  in  their  en 
tirety  they  do  not  cover  forty  of  these,  this  number  has 
proved  fully  adequate  by  reason  of  the  vigor,  the  concise 
ness,  and  the  positiveness  of  his  assertions.  Writing  before 
the  publication  of  either  Harrison's  or  Woodberry's 
biographies,  Lauvriere  has  adopted  as  his  authority  the 
memoir  by  Griswold,  and  corroborates  it  by  quotations 
from  Briggs.  The  contributions  of  Ingram  and  Gill  have 
been  ignored ;  apparently  they  did  not  fit  into  his  theory. 
His  assertion  that  Poe's  work  is  merely  the  manifestation 
of  a  disordered  brain  deserves  special  consideration.* 

Before  we  continue  the  narrative  of  this  hopelessly  foredoomed  life 
let  us,  for  a  moment,  examine  his  contemporary  work.  We  will  find 
there  the  same  pathetic  role  played  by  the  same  individual,  whose 
haggard  countenance  is  stamped  by  the  imminence  of  insanity,  [les 
traits  a  peine  accentues  predisent  rimmimnence  de  la  folie.]  Always 
there  is  presented  the  same  morbid  hero,  with  his  haggard,  disease- 
stamped  face,  haunted  by  specters;  a  Poe  prematurely  aged  and 
debilitated,  who,  stupified,  sees  in  his  own  pages,  as  in  a  mirror,  a 
reflection  of  himself  as  he  awaits  the  fate  to  which  he  is  doomed.  The 
same  exaggerated  sensibility,  the  same  overstrung  nerves,  the  same 
profoundly  unbalanced  and  over-excited  imagination,  the  legacy  of  a 
decadent  family  which  had  been  noted  for  the  vigor  of  its  imagination 
and  for  the  ardor  of  its  passions,  and  which,  finally,  because  of  the 
constitutional  evil,  manifested  itself  in  a  swarm  of  abnormal  sensa 
tions  ;  the  same  inconsistency ;  the  same  incoherence  arising  because 
of  his  inability  to  overcome  an  habitual  timidity,  [meme  incon- 
sistance  meme  incoherence  qui  vient  de  futiles  efforts  pour  vaincre 
•Lauvriere.  Edgar  Poe.  Sa  Vie,  et  Son  Oeuvre  [1904].  Page  174. 


POE:  A  BIBLIOGRAPHIC  STUDY      367 

une  trepidation  habituelle,"]  with  excessive  nervous  agitation  showing 
itself  by  trembling  and  broken  voice,  or,  brusque  and  hoarse  and  per 
fectly  modulated,  such  as  one  finds  in  the  hopeless  drunkard,  or  in  the 
incorrigible  eater  of  opium.  Why  should  one  further  seek  to  penetrate 
into  this  habitual  and  excessive  reserve,  into  this  dark  and  unbearable 
sorrow  which  reproduces  itself  over  all  that  he  sees  in  the  physical 
universe,  or  in  our  moral  nature,  and  which  over  them  constantly 
casts  its  gloomy  shadows?  Those  inconceivable  and  mysterious  ob 
sessions  of  terror  and  horror  have,  like  an  incubus,  settled  on  his 
heart  causing  him  baseless  alarms.  It  is  into  this  pitiful  condition  he 
sinks  when,  in  that  last  hour  of  life,  he  loses  his  reason  and  must  face 
a  horrible  phantom  of  fear. 

Sometimes,  with  staring  eyes,  in  an  attitude  of  profound  attention, 
he  gazes  into  vacancy  as  if  he  were  listening  to  imaginary  voices, 
again  his  eyes  glow  with  mad  hilarity  attempting  to  hold  in  check  an 
hysterical  seizure  in  which  the  wild  saraband  dance  of  delirious  and 
inchoate  sensations,  maddened  even  to  crime,  which  rise  in  the  sick 
brain  like  the  nightmare  of  a  madman,  when  they  are  aroused  and 
throw  themselves  into  the  whirling  dance,  led  by  those  two  macaber 
and  satanic  demons :  Alcohol  and  Opium. 

It  is  difficult  to  understand  Lauvriere's  application — 
this  dizzy  dance  led  by  macaber  demons,  these  resounding 
words  and  misapplied  metaphors — either  to  Poe  or  to  the 
things  he  wrote.  Apparently,  to  Lauvriere's  mind,  opium, 
alcohol,  madness  and  Poe  were  inextricably  mixed,  and 
his  portrait  betrays  this  to  such  an  extent  that  we  fail  to 
recognize  in  the  likeness  the  slightest  resemblance  to  the 
Poe  we  know,  the  Poe  of  whom  even  Gr  is  wold  wrote, 
"His  beauty,  his  readiness,  the  daring  spirit  that  breathed 
around  him  like  a  fiery  atmosphere."  No  testimony  exists 
either  in  the  known  facts  of  Poe's  life  or  in  the  description 
all  biographers  give  of  his  personal  charm  and  the  bril 
liancy  of  his  conversation,  nor  yet  in  the  things  he  wrote, 
that  would  justify  these  lurid  statements.  It  is  most  dif 
ficult  to  understand  Lauvriere's  reason  for  describing  Poe : 
"Tantot  il  reste  pendent  des  heures,  les  yeux  fixes  dans 
Tegarement,  en  une  attitude  de  la  plus  profonde  attention 
comme  s'il  pretait  Toreille  a  des  bruits  imaginaires ;"  nor 
his  reason  for  assuming  that  this  was  a  reproduction  of 
the  sensations  that  haunted  the  mind  of  Poe. 


368      POE:  A  BIBLIOGRAPHIC  STUDY 

In  Berenice  Poe  wrote: 

To  muse  for  long  unwearied  hours,  with  my  attention  riveted  to 
some  frivolous  device  on  the  margin  or  in  the  typography  of  a  book ; 
to  become  absorbed,  for  the  better  part  of  a  summer's  day,  in  a  quaint 
shadow  falling  aslant  upon  the  tapestry  or  upon  the  floor;  lose  myself, 
for  an  entire  night,  in  watching  the  steady  flame  of  a  lamp  or  the 
embers  of  a  fire;  to  dream  away  whole  days  over  the  perfume  of  a 
flower;  to  repeat,  monotonously,  some  common  word,  until  the  sound, 
by  dint  of  frequent  repetition,  ceased  to  convey  any  idea  whatever  to 
the  mind ;  to  lose  all  sense  of  motion  or  physical  existence,  by  means 
of  absolute  quiescence  long  and  obstinately  persevered  in :  such  were 
a  few  of  the  most  common  and  least  pernicious  vagaries  induced  by  a 
condition  of  the  mental  faculties,  not,  indeed,  altogether  unparalleled, 
but  certainly  bidding  defiance  to  anything  like  analysis  or  explanation. 

This  assuredly  does  not  justify  Lauvriere's  deduc 
tions  nor  will  it  explain  'Teffroyable  sarabande  de 
sensations  incoherentes,  deliriantes,  affolees  jusqu'au 
crime."  It  is  merely  the  day  dreams  of  the  mentally  indo 
lent,  and  it  well  describes  the  auto-hypnotization  uncon 
sciously  practiced  by  all  of  us  when  we  sink  into  revery. 

A  study  of  the  data  upon  which  Lauvriere  based  this  and 
other  statements,  and  from  which  he  drew  his  conclusions, 
makes  it  certain  that  such  verbiage  is  not  all  French 
exaggeration,  nor  was  it  written  for  literary  effect.  Swept 
on  by  the  torrent  of  scientific  knowledge  that  he  has 
imbibed,  he  pours  out  and  overwhelms  Poe  with  a  flood 
of  images  drawn  from  an  overwrought  imagination.  He 
is  sincere  in  his  beliefs,  even  while  his  conclusions  are 
based  partly  on  untruthful  allegations  and  partly  on 
failure  to  understand  scientific  statements  that  can  be 
variously  interpreted.  For  this  reason,  it  is  proper  that 
we  know  what  was  the  foundation  of  his  knowledge, 
and  what  were  the  scientific  truths  on  which  he  based  his 
conclusions.  Lauvriere  fully  details  the  preparation  he 
made  for  his  specal  study :  * 

When  discussing  such  a  condition,  ordinarily  one  will  say  'Bah! 
c'est  un  malade,'  and  passes  on.  But  we  did  not  care  to  side-step  this 
question.  We  wished  with  a  clear  conscience  personally  to  investigate 

*Lauvriere.  Op.  Cit.  Preface,  pages  vi-vii. 


POE:  A  BIBLIOGRAPHIC  STUDY      369 

this  matter,  and  to  discuss  it  intelligently,  and  remembering  that  Poe 
was  a  sick  man,  or,  as  Briggs  expressed  it,  'a  psychological  phenome 
non,'  it  occurred  to  us  that  a  study  of  medicine  would  be  necessary 
and  that,  possibly,  a  physician  could  furnish  the  key  to  this  startling 
enigma  that  conjoined  Poe's  life  and  his  work. 

As  our  first  inducement  to  begin  on  this  study,  a  thing  we  little 
foresaw  when  we  entered  upon  this  work,  was  the  intermittent  nature, 
and  frequent  repetition  of  the  brutal  alcoholic  attacks  that  were  so 
prominent  a  symptom  in  the  disease  of  this  poor  poet.  All  the  symp 
toms  of  degeneration  were  so  deeply  graven  in  the  flesh  and  soul  of 
Poe,  they  show  as  plainly  in  his  poor  haggard  face,  the  face  of  an 
inspired  vagabond,  as  they  do  in  the  pages  of  his  immortal  prose  and 
verse.  Mentally,  as  well  as  physically,  this  degeneration  has  left  its 
indelible  mark  upon  his  whole  being.  This  explains  all  his  abnorma  - 
ities;  his  strength  and  his  weakness;  his  genius  and  his  madness;  his 
defeats  and  his  victories ;  without  them  his  life  and  his  work  resemble 
monstrosities  void  of  understanding;  [monstruosites  vides  de  sens] 
with  them  there  is  no  more  mystery ;  everything  is  made  clear,  logical 
and  harmonious.  Although  this  extremely  simple  explanation  of  the 
complicated  problem  was  made  not  without  difficulty,  these  final  con 
clusions  were  not  arrived  at  without  painstaking  study  and  extreme 
labor.  It  proved  to  be  a  new  world  for  exploration:  alienism,  that 
distant  and  terrifying  province  of  scientific  psychology.  Happily  the 
means  for  exploration  were  at  hand,  and  they  served  well  for  one  in 
terested,  but  untrained  in  scientific  research.  For  this  reason  it  proved 
pleasant,  although  it  required  long  months  that  had  to  be  devoted  to 
this  study.  We  did  not  hesitate.  By  reason  of  the  permission  granted 
to  us  by  M.  Brouardel,  we  were  allowed  to  consult,  according  to  our 
needs,  such  specialists  as  Ribot  and  Janet  of  the  College  of  France, 
and  Dr.  Klippel  of  the  Paris  Hospital.  To  them  we  return  thanks  for 
the  information  they  imparted,  and  for  their  considerate  advice. 

While  Lauvriere  deserves  credit  for  the  effort  he  made, 
and  for  his  good  intentions,  the  result  hardly  justified  this 
preparatory  course  of  study. 

A  little  learning  is  a  dangerous  thing; 
Drink  deep,  or  touch  not  the  Pierian  spring. 

It  is  the  complete  confidence  with  which  Lauvriere  has 
accepted  the  various  statements  he  quotes,  and  his  unique 
interpretation  of  them,  that  makes  us  know  that  he  lacks 
experience  in  their  practical  application. 

Lauvriere  was  a  "Docteur  des  Lettres,"  not  a  Doctor  of 
Medicine.  In  attempting  to  discuss  a  subject  by  its  very 
nature  difficult,  and  not  fully  comprehended  by  our  most 


370      POE:  A  BIBLIOGRAPHIC  STUDY 

advanced  students,  and  one  concerning  which  so  many 
diverse  and  radically  opposed  theories  still  are  advanced 
in  explanation  of  things  that,  by  their  very  nature,  are 
undecipherable,  he  undertook  something  for  which  he  was 
in  no  way  prepared.  It  is  the  wise  man  whose  knowledge, 
like  that  of  Socrates,  consists  in  knowing  its  limitations. 
I  do  not  care  to  be  understood  as  intimating  that  to 
become  a  competent  alienist  one  must  be  either  a  grad 
uate  in  medicine  or  a  Psychiatrist.  On  the  other  hand,  the 
reading  of  a  few  books,  conversations  with  specialists,  or 
association  with  those  qualified  to  speak  with  authority, 
can  not,  in  the  course  of  a  few  months,  prepare  the  most 
eager  investigator  authoritatively  to  discuss  a  subject 
which,  after  years  of  practical  familiarity  and  constant 
association,  its  students  are  forced  to  admit  has  no 
anatomical  foundation,  and  permits  only  of  the  most 
general  theorizing. 

Neither  the  anatomy  of  the  brain  nor  the  pathological 
changes  it  undergoes  when  it  functions  normally,  have 
been  definitely  established.  Frequently  it  happens  that 
some  new  stain  upsets  our  preconceived  ideas  of  brain 
cells,  their  association  tracts,  and  their  fibrillary  connec 
tion.  Although  we  believe  we  are  making  slow  advances 
in  special  knowledge  of  this  subject,  no  organ  of  the 
human  body  is  less  understood  by  the  physiologist  than  is 
the  brain.  Unlike  other  departments  of  medicine,  we  have 
no  definitely  accepted  pathology  or  causation,  or  even  a 
classification  which  all  follow  who  discuss  these  neuroses. 
We  still  confuse  first  symptoms  with  causation;  nor  have  we 
the  slightest  conception  what  physiological  changes  under 
lie  normal  ideation.  Much  less  do  we  understand  those 
changes  in  the  cells  of  the  brain  that  are  responsible  for 
abnormal  psychology.  We  cannot  solve  the  riddle  of 
heredity,  even  though  the  researches  of  Mendel,  and  others 
who  amplified  his  observations,  have  laid  an  excellent 


POE:  A  BIBLIOGRAPHIC  STUDY      371 

foundation  so  far  as  body-characteristics  are  concerned. 
Who  has,  or  can,  lay  down  definite  rules  for  guidance  in  the 
reproduction  of  those  qualities  of  head  and  heart  so  neces 
sary  to  the  well-being  of  the  race?  We  talk  much  of  eugenic 
laws,  and  various  organizations  learnedly  discuss  ways 
and  means  of  human  improvment.  We  can  breed  for  bulk, 
or  for  other  physical  qualities;  but  we  are  more  than 
animals.  Brain  is  not  synonymous  with  brawn.  We  must 
not  measure  the  stature  either  of  Napoleon  or  of  Lloyd 
George  by  the  yardstick.  In  that  famous  debate  between 
those  well  known  Georgia  Senators,  Toombs  and  Stevens, 
when  gigantic  Toombs  boasted  that,  if  they  would  only 
grease  Stevens'  head  and  tie  back  his  ears,  he  "could  swal 
low  him  whole,"  and  little  Stevens  replied  (borrowing 
from  Scott)  that  "if  he  did,  Toombs  would  have  more 
brains  in  his  belly  than  he  had  in  his  head,"  we  have  a 
memorable  truth.  How  can  we  infuse  into  the  texture  of 
the  brain  those  qualities  that  make  for  nobility  of  char 
acter  and  greatness  of  soul  ?  that  produced  a  Washington, 
and  that  typifies  a  Wilson?  What  psychologist  could  have 
formulated  the  mating  that  produced  the  lovable  qualities 
of  a  Goldsmith,  or  the  dominating  personality  of  a  John 
son?  Who  could  have  foretold  the  result  of  the  paternal 
accident  that  we  trace  in  the  life  histories  of  Dickens  and 
Mark  Twain?  And  what  soothsayer  could  so  have  read 
the  augury  as  to  have  foretold  the  result  of  the  mating  of  a 
strolling  actress  (unknown,  and  who,  possibly  like  Topsy, 
"just  growed")  with  the  drunken,  the  degenerate,  and  the 
shiftless  son  of  a  family  "whose  greatest  enemy  had  always 
been  the  bottle"  ?  For  a  very  good  reason,  and  one  that  no 
amount  of  research  ever  can  solve,  the  qualities  of  the 
mind,  as  well  as  their  morbid  reactions,  are  too  delicate 
ever  to  be  scientifically  solved.  For  the  world  this  is  fortu 
nate,  however  high  an  inheritance  tax  the  victims  of  this 
heredity  must  pay.  Eradicate  the  nervous  diathesis, 


372      POE:  A  BIBLIOGRAPHIC  STUDY 

suppress  the  hot  blood  that  results  from  the  overdose 
mating  of  neurotics,  from  that  unstable  nervous  organi 
zation  due  to  alcoholic  inheritance,  or  even  from  insanity 
and  the  various  forms  of  parental  degeneracy,  and  we 
would  have  a  race  of  stoics :  men  without  imagination,  in 
dividuals  incapable  of  enthusiasms,  brains  without  person 
ality,  souls  without  genius.  It  is  possible  to  mate  for  bulk. 
By  selecting  desirable  physical  qualities  we  can  produce  a 
perfect  human  brute,  but  we  have  lost  those  higher  and 
ennobling  gifts  that  have  made  so  much  for  the  world's 
pleasure  and  progress.  Who  could,  or  would,  breed  for  a 
hump-backed  Pope,  or  a  clubfooted  Byron,  a  tubercular 
Keats,  or  a  soul-obsessed  Poe?  Nature  has  done  fairly 
well  by  us.  Love,  which  mates  opposites,  which  induces 
the  weak  to  cling  to  the  strong,  the  bold  and  reckless  to 
seek  the  timid  and  retiring,  the  bulky  frame  to  search  out 
its  opposite  in  the  small  and  compact  stature,  supposes  a 
method  of  selection  more  in  accord  with  natural  laws  than 
any  eugenic  statutes  we  could  enact.  The  tuberculous  and 
the  neurotic  have  their  place  in  Nature's  scheme.  Suppress 
them,  and  we  have  extinguished  the  flower  before  it  has 
fruited.  While  nature  often  throws  these  aside  in  the  first 
generation,  always  in  the  second  or  third  unless  comple 
mentary  mates  are  chosen,  the  genius  in  them  has  given 
to  the  world  much  that  the  world  ill  could  spare. 

Into  this  mesh  of  theories,  and  into  this  quagmire  of 
ignorance  of  Nature's  laws,  Lauvriere  boldly  has  entered 
with  his  newly  acquired  knowledge.  He  attempts  not  only 
to  solve  the  riddle  of  the  mind,  but  confidently  passes  on 
questions  of  heredity.  His  study  of  genius  is  particularly 
enlightening,  and  the  result  he  reaches  measures  the 
scientific  value  of  his  deductions.  Using  the  translation  of 
Professor  Morris:  "In  short,  everywhere  in  this  temple  of 
madness,  we  witness,  enthralled  by  the  charm  of  a  dan 
gerous  art,  the  fascinating  but  exhausting  spectacle  of  the 


POE:  A  BIBLIOGRAPHIC  STUDY      373 

human  faculties,  sensibility,  energy,  intelligence,  imagina 
tion,  reason,  taste,  outraged  in  paroxysms  of  pain.  If  the 
frightful  superiority  of  this  extraordinary  being  comes 
from  genius,  then  genius  is  nothing  but  frenzied  excesses." 
To  Lauvriere,  Poe  presents  a  type  of  genius  in  its  most 
repulsive  form.  He  traces  Poe's  career  from  infancy, 
stupefied  by  gin  and  surrounded  by  the  squalor  and 
poverty-begotten  environments  that  became  the  lot  of  the 
dying  mother,  through  unhappy  boyhood  with  proud 
spirit  chafing  against  restraint,  into  young  manhood  un 
disciplined  by  moral  laws;  and  he  shows  Poe's  matured 
habits  characterized  by  unceasing  dissipation  that  weak 
ened,  and  finally  overthrew,  a  brain  by  inheritance  ab 
normal.* 

Poe,  from  birth,  was  a  degenerate.  He  was  born  under  miserable 
hygienic  conditions  and  inherited  from  his  parents  both  an  alcoholic 
neurosis  and  a  phthisical  constitution.  With  such  an  heredity  this 
abnormal  Richmond  child  presented  a  precocious  intelligence  and 
an  exalted  sentimentality,  with  a  quick  but  intermittent  energy  on 
which  was  laid  the  foundation  of  his  indisciplinable  character.  With 
a  mind  inflated  by  pride  he  passed  an  unstable  youth  immersed  in  a 
series  of  ecstatic,  morbid  trances,  and  mystic  visions  commingled  with 
expansive  ideas.  Following  closely  upon  such  dreams  came  a  series  of 
rash  and  unconsidered  adventures  until  defeats,  responsibilities,  and 
misery  made  of  the  rich,  adopted,  city  child,  of  the  proud  poet,  the 
brilliant  idealist  and  dreamer  a  deserter,  a  wandering  vagabond 
without  hearth  or  home,  an  outcast,  a  madman,  [un  boheme  sans  feu 
ni  lieu,  un  declasse  un  detraque.] 

Is  he  to  be  regarded  as  a  man  insane  or  as  a  genius,  this  strange, 
unbalanced  and  impossible  personality;  a  man  whose  brain  wanders 
on  the  border  line  between  crime  and  genius?  It  is  doubtless  true  that 
toward  the  end  of  his  life  and  of  his  sad  career,  this  poor  decadent 
was  a  partially  reasoning  madman  whose  double,  circular  insanity 
was  allowed  to  grow  greater  and  greater,  and  there  came  recurring 
periods  of  depression  complicated  by  outbreaks  of  erotomania. 

In  this  estimate,  evidently  based  on  Poe's  own  words 
which  Lauvriere  has  little  more  than  paraphrased,  and 
which  we  find  in  the  opening  description  of  William  Wil 
son,  it  is  evidently  assumed  that  Poe  was  giving  an  accur- 

*Lauvriere.  Op.  Cit.,  page  307. 


374      POE:  A  BIBLIOGRAPHIC  STUDY 

ate  autobiographic  statement — a  thing  impossible  to 
conceive  except  by  one  who  assumes  that  everything  Poe 
wrote  was  only  his  reflected  self,  and  that  he  could  give 
forth  no  other  sentiments  except  those  he  individually  felt. 

I  am  come  of  a  race  whose  imaginative  and  easily  excitable  tem 
perament  had  at  all  times  rendered  them  remarkable;  and,  in  my 
earliest  infancy,  I  gave  evidence  of  having  fully  inherited  the  family 
character.  As  I  advanced  in  years  it  was  most  strongly  developed; 
becoming,  for  many  reasons,  a  cause  of  serious  disquietude  to  my 
friends  and  of  positive  injury  to  myself.  I  grew  self-willed,  addicted 
to  the  wildest  caprices,  and  a  prey  to  the  most  ungovernable  passions. 
Weakminded,  and  beset  with  constitutional  infirmities  akin  to  my 
own,  my  parents  could  do  but  little  to  check  the  evil  propensities 
which  distinguished  me. 

Poe,  in  writing  William  Wilson,  did  exhibit  consummate 
psychological  acumen.  It  is  a  story  dreadful  in  its  keen 
psycho-analysis,  but  it  was  not  necessarily  a  personal 
experience,  though  he  wrote  in  the  first  person. 

Lauvriere  bases  not  only  the  conception,  but  even  the 
ideation  of  much  that  Poe  wrote  upon  his  abnormal  psych 
ology  while  under  the  influence  of  drugs  and  stimulants.* 

We  believe  that  the  truth  is  most  difficult  to  arrive  at  for  the 
reason  that  spiritual  superiority  is  the  infinitely  variable  product  of 
mental  faculties,  more  or  less  abnormal.  .  .  .  There  is  no  human 
faculty  the  morbid  development  of  which  may  not  end  either  in 
genius  or  insanity,  and,  at  times,  it  is  difficult  to  draw  the  line  of 
demarcation  separating  them.  Not  to  mention  the  alternating  states 
of  exaltation  and  depression,  equally  characteristic  of  this  state  of 
nervous  tension,  it  frequently  happens  that  the  artistic  vision  changes 
into  an  ocular  hallucination;  the  inspiration  of  the  poet  into  delirious 
ramblings;  the  contemplations  of  the  philosopher  into  ecstatic  visions; 
the  unbending  logic  of  the  scientist  into  the  reasoning  paranoia;  the 
imperious  energy  of  the  man  of  action  into  a  criminal  impulsion :  and 
how  often,  and  in  how  many  celebrated  cases,  has  not  this  fated 
change  come  with  some  tragic  denouement  that  has  startled  the 
world?  Between  these  two  orbits  of  mental  revolution,  great  as  these 
extremes  may  be,  there  exists,  for  the  genius,  a  large  neutral  zone 
where  these  differences,  in  the  degree  of  the  nervous  and  mental  mani 
festations,  make  their  psychological  relationship  of  less  importance 
than  are  the  practical  consequences  that  may  result.  In  the  midst  of 
this  questionable  zone  floats  the  morbid  genius  of  Poe.  It  was  en 
dowed  with  this  distinctive  precocity,  and  with  the  fatal  predeter- 

*Lauvriere.  Op.  Cit.,  page  6%. 


POE:  A  BIBLIOGRAPHIC  STUDY      375 

mined  course  characteristic  of  innate  tendencies.  It  possesses  for  an 
unstable  basis  morbid  sensibility  as  greedy  of,  as  it  is  susceptible  to, 
intense  emotional  states.  From  birth  to  death  it  balances  between 
conditions  of  ecstacy  and  melancholy,  and  this  was  the  origin  both  of 
Poe's  poetic  inspirations  and  of  his  fantastic  creations;  of  his  literary 
dogmas  and  of  his  synthetical  metaphysical  creations.  Because  of 
these  alternating  conditions  both  in  his  prose  and  verse,  come  those 
passages  of  unutterable  despair,  as  well  as  those  vibrating  with  the 
exhilaration  of  life.  From  this  comes  that  glowing  mystic  cult  which 
unites  beauty  with  death  but  ends  by  confounding  them.  From  this 
influence  come  seraphic  lovers  filled  with  platonic  dreams  rather  than 
inspired  by  passion.  From  this  arises  those  macaber  apparitions 
exaggerated  because  of  the  emanations  of  alcohol  and  opium.  From 
this,  also,  comes  those  tremulous  excesses  of  a  degenerate  character, 
a  prey  to  the  most  contradictory  forces.  On  this  doubly  unstable 
foundation  his  poetry,  from  its  first  childish  prattle  till  its  last  senile 
ramblings,  always  sings  its  sad  melodies  that,  rising  from  unconscious 
depths,  survive  reason.  In  his  criticisms  there  is  a  mixture  of  bitter 
intolerance  and  of  proud,  suspicious  egotism.  His  stories  abound  with 
hallucinatory  visions  of  fear,  and  of  obsessions  that  lead  to  criminal 
acts  and,  occasionally,  are  characterized  by  adventurous  flights  of 
intuition  and  marvelous  'chimeres  de  1' imagination.'  Even  in  his 
most  grotesque  mood,  grinning  behind  his  mask,  his  macaber  visions 
and  deep  sadness  lie  hidden;  and,  in  his  excited  discussions  of  the  most 
abstruse  problems,  he  erects  on  a  frail  and  emotional  basis  the  most 
fantastic  structures  of  occult  pantheism. 

The  clarity  of  Poe's  reasoning,  and  his  powers  of  analy 
sis  as  displayed  by  his  solution  of  cryptograms,  as  well  as 
in  many  of  his  tales,  disprove  this  generalization  of  Lauv- 
riere.  He  has  strangely  ignored  the  keenness  of  the  mental 
processes  that  must  have  been  employed  in  writing  such 
stories  as  The  Gold  Bug  and  the  Murders  in  the  Rue  Morgue, 
and  the  imaginative  qualities  displayed  in  The  Domain  of 
Arnheim.  Nor  has  he  properly  understood  and  differen 
tiated,  the  varying  mental  states  Poe  delineated  in  The 
Black  Cat  and  The  Tell  Tale  Heart.  To  use  any  of  these 
stories,  or  that  masterly  description  of  an  overwrought 
nervous  depressive  state,  The.  Fall  of  the  House  of  Usher 
(which  in  a  certain  way  might  have  been  auto-biographic) 
as  proof,  or  even  as  an  illustration  of  a  mental  condition 
brought  on  by  the  overuse  of  alcohol  and  opium,  is  a 
psychological  crime.  It  can  only  be  explained  by  Lauv- 


376      POE.  A  BIBLIOGRAPHIC  STUDY 

riere's  exaggerated  belief  in  the  value  of  the  special  studies 
he  made.  Our  investigations  into  the  effect  of  even  small 
quantities  of  alcohol  in  retarding  brain  operations,  must 
have  been  well  within  his  knowledge.  That  the  brain  could 
have  so  functioned  as  to  produce  results  that  required  the 
highest  idealizations  and  the  strongest  logical  faculties,  is 
the  best  evidence  that  it  was  not  dulled  by  alcoholic 
poisoning. 

This  thrice-repeated  dancing  skeleton  of  Macaber, 
which  Lauvriere  so  insistently  dangles  before  us,  may  have 
been  Germanic  in  its  conception,  but  it  is  essentially 
French  in  its  later  development,  and  in  this  peculiar 
method  of  application. 

While  it  is  true  that,  upon  occasion,  Poe  drank  to  excess, 
and  that,  in  time,  these  frequently-repeated,  alcoholically- 
poisoned  drenchings  did  set  up  organic  changes  in  the 
brain  cells  and  their  coverings,  these  circumstances  added 
no  brilliancy  to  Poe's  mental  faculties;  on  the  contrary, 
they  slowly  and  insidiously  unfitted  him  for  his  best  work. 
Although  there  were  repeated  acute  mental  disturbances 
they  were  but  of  short  duration.  At  no  time,  under  the 
most  distorted  nomenclature,  could  Poe  have  been  clas 
sified  as  a  "madman,"  nor  was  he  a  "monster."  Possibly 
the  vigor  of  Lauvriere's  epithets  carries  him  beyond  a 
scientific  pronouncement :  or  it  may  be  that  these  phrases 
are  to  be  understood  only  in  a  "Pickwickian"  sense. 

While  it  is  true  that,  within  certain  limits,  psychiatrists 
are  agreed  on  fundamental  propositions,  and  accept  as  an 
established  fact  the  close  relationship  of  diseases  originat 
ing  in  the  nervous  diathesis,  further  than  this  they  are  by 
no  means  unanimous.  We  recognize  groups  of  symptoms, 
or  "syndromes,"  as  characterizing  certain  nervous  states, 
but,  at  best,  we  do  not  more  than  generalize  in  our  at 
tempts  to  classify  them.  Beyond  this,  at  times  we  seriously 
differ  when  specific  claims  are  made  as  to  definite  causa- 


POE:  A  BIBLIOGRAPHIC  STUDY      377 

tion,  or  as  to  the  modus  operandi  of  brain  functioning. 

There  are  as  many  theories  as  there  are  text  books 

written. 

Much  less  this  dreamer,  deaf  and  blind, 
Named  man,  may  hope  some  truth  to  find, 
That  bears  relation  to  the  mind. 
For  every  worm  beneath  the  moon 
Draws  different  threads,  and  late  and  soon 
Spins,  toiling  out  his  own  cocoon. 

Lauvriere's  error  consists  in  his  attempt  concretely  to 
apply  these  generalizations  and  his  excess  of  faith  in  the 
soundness  of  the  doctrines  he  has  absorbed.  He  accepts  as 
true  all  that  has  been  alleged,  and  admits  all  into  his  dis 
cussion  as  a  basis  for  further  generalization.  In  this  way, 
he  has  erected  a  structure  both  "arabesque  and  grotesque" 
in  which  he  has  attempted  to  domicile  Poe. 

His  final  estimate  measures  the  psychological  acumen 
of  the  man.* 

Beneath  this  web  of  contradictory  statements,  the  character  of 
Poe  seems  to  be  an  enigma :  an  unreal  and  an  unbelievable  personality. 
Some  describe  him  as  a  man  false,  cruel,  cynical ;  more  devil  than  hu 
man,  whose  odious  actions  seem  to  arise  from  a  monstrous  perversion. 
Others  describe  him  as  a  peaceful  friend,  generous,  invariably  kind, 
cheerful  and  courteous :  a  model  in  all  that  concerns  social  and  domes 
tic  virtues;  and  that,  in  addition  to  this,  he  was  the  soul  of  honor. 
Which  of  these  opinions  shall  we  accept?  Whom  of  his  biographers 
are  we  to  believe?  In  our  opinion,  both.  It  is  not  wise  to  adopt  the 
middle  course  and  thus  to  efface  an  individuality  which  nature  has  so 
markedly  accentuated.  Whether  or  not  we  like  it  we  must  accept  this 
double  personality  as  a  fact,  and  not  as  an  exaggeration;  and,  further, 
that  they  alternated  the  one  with  the  other.  Is  it  not  a  matter  of 
common  knowledge  that  the  dipsomaniac,  whether  drinking  or  ab 
stinent,  resembles  a  man  with  two  personalities  inhabiting  the  same 
body  ?  one  steady,  sober,  laborious,  even  austere ;  the  other  only  half 
conscious,  almost  insane,  a  prey  to  all  follies,  to  all  excesses?  This 
double  personality  has  been  compared  to  a  lighthouse  that  has  two 
differently  colored  lights  and,  according  to  the  disk  through  which 
the  light  shines,  the  rays  appear  red  or  blue.  For  this  reason  this 
remarkable  man,  who,  to  his  tavern  companions  appeared  to  be  little 
else  than  a  degraded  drunken  sot,  lacking  human  reason  and  moral 
sense,  was,  in  the  eyes  of  his  friends  and  admirers,  a  poor  misunder 
stood  genius  who  was  calumniated,  and,  for  that  reason,  so  much  the 

"Lauvriere.  Of).  Cit.,  page.  155. 


378      POE:  A  BIBLIOGRAPHIC  STUDY 

more  worthy  of  admiration  and  sympathy.  These  two  views  cannot 
possibly  be  reconciled,  and  we  must  accept  both  as  equally  true:  two 
aspects  of  this  Janus  with  the  double  face. 

There  is,  however,  a  seriously  complicating  factor.  As  we  have 
before  remarked,  dipsomania  is  nothing  but  an  inherited  form  of 
insanity,  and  it  may  present  itself  under  many  aspects.  In  many 
cases,  besides  the  more  or  less  constant  oscillation  between  melan 
cholic  depression  and  maniacal  exaltation,  there  are  a  number  of 
eccentric  deviations  which  cross  one  another  because  of  acquired  or 
inherited  degeneration.  One  should,  for  this  reason,  not  speak  of 
duality  in  the  presence  of  this  mental  incoherence,  but  rather  of  the 
plurality  of  the  ego,  the  breaking  up  of  human  personality,  and  the 
return  of  the  individual  ego  to  initial  chaos  [Effritement  de  la  per- 
sonnalite  humaine,  retour  de  la  colonie  individuelle  au  chaos  initial.] 
'An  essential  and  striking  clinical  fact,'  says  Dr.  Magnan,  'is  the 
coexistence  in  the  same  individual  patient  of  more  or  less  marked 
obsessions,  occasionally  present  at  the  same  time,  more  frequently 
separated  and  exhibiting  themselves  at  various  periods  of  life.  This 
peculiarity  is  especially  to  be  noted  and  is  illuminating  because  it 
makes  clear  and  fully  explains  the  nature  of  these  morbid  manifes 
tations.  When  one  thoroughly  investigates  the  lives  of  these  patients 
it  is  only  exceptionally  that  only  one  syndrome  is  found.  It  is  not  rare 
to  find  several  coinciding  syndromes.  Generally  there  is  no  law  gov 
erning  this  association,  and  their  only  point  of  relationship  is  in 
their  origin.  The  more  one  observes  the  more  frequently  one  finds 
examples  of  this  multiplication.  If  all  of  these  syndromes,  thus  co 
existing,  succeed  and  multiply  themselves  infinitely,  it  can  only  be 
because  of  the  basic  fact  of  their  having  originated  from  the  same 
morbid  condition,  and  that  they  are  the  result  of  cerebrospinal 
automatism.  '  Thus  through  the  destructive  agency  of  suffering  and  un- 
happiness,  of  overwork  and  excesses  of  all  kinds,  this  poor  personality 
of  Poe,  so  sensitively  and  so  impulsively  organized  and  so  badly  co 
ordinated,  began  by  degrees  to  show  evidence  of  disorganization.  It 
was  for  this  reason  that  he  began  to  show  evidences  of  mental  dis 
turbance  complicated  by  such  impulses  which,  originally,  he  had  under 
control,  but  which  now  destroyed  the  general  harmony.  Slowly  there 
developed  evidences  of  decay  in  his  fragile  and  unstable  individuality. 
From  the  fact  of  this  loss  of  mental  control  comes  the  heartbreaking 
spectacle  of  a  mind  based  originally  on  a  groundwork  of  morbid  sensi 
bility,  with  time  growing  more  diseased,  with  constantly  increasing 
symptoms  characterized  by  obsessions,  impulsions,  and  morbid  fears ; 
ideas  of  persecution  and  delusions  of  grandeur, — all  symptoms  of  a 
hopeless  insanity. 

Neither  by  absorption  nor  experience  did  Lauvriere 
understand  more  than  the  most  general  rudiments  of  a 
subject  which  no  one  fully  comprehends.  In  attempting  to 
apply  these  to  Poe's  particular  psychology  he  accepted  as 


POE:  A  BIBLIOGRAPHIC  STUDY      379 

definitely  established  truths,  the  most  generally  applied 
theories.  It  was  not  altogether  because  of  his  dependence 
on  Griswold  for  the  facts  of  Poe's  life  that  he  wrote,  44Sa 
vie  et  son  oeuvre  appraisment  commes  des  monstruosities 
vides  de  sens."  Surely  Poe's  own  work  was  open  to  him: 
had  he  not  been  blinded  by  scientific  aphorisms,  basically 
true  but  misapplied,  he  could  not  have  drawn  the  con 
clusions  he  did. 

Lauvriere's  special  study  of  dipsomania  is  based  on  ex 
tracts  and  statements  equally  distorted.  In  copying  from 
Magnan,  and  in  elaborating  on  that  excerpt  as  applicable 
to  Poe,  Lauvriere  is  in  serious  error.  While  it  is  a  matter  of 
every  day  experience,  authoritatively  established  by 
scientific  knowledge,  that  a  man  suddenly  may  be  seized 
by  an  obsession  that  compels  him  to  seek  oblivion  in  some 
form  of  narcosis,  alcoholic  or  drugged,  and  that,  during 
this  time,  he  may  sin  grievously  against  the  moral  laws, 
this  fact  does  not  make  him  either  a  madman  or,  neces 
sarily,  a  degenerate,  even  while  it  is  established  with  equal 
definiteness  that  such  attacks,  frequently  indulged  in  and 
unduly  prolonged,  may  induce  organic  changes  in  the 
tissues  that  compose  the  brain  matter,  and  produce 
mental  weakness  and,  temporarily,  acute  mental  disturb 
ance. 

Lauvriere,  rightly  diagnosing  Poe's  inherited  disease  to 
have  been  dipsomania,  has  made  a  special  study  of  this 
disease.  * 

'Dipsomania  is  one  of  the  evils  following  in  the  train  of  hereditary 
insanity,  heredity  always  dominating  as  a  predisposing  factor  in  its 
causation :  all  such  patients  are  predisposed  to  insanity  by  reason  of 
their  ancestry,  insofar  as  we  have  seen,  or  can  determine.  Should  one 
search  into  their  early  history  it  is  found  that,  even  in  childhood,  they 
have  shown  peculiarities  of  character  and  abnormalities  of  mind  which 
distinguish  them  from  other  children  of  the  same  age,  though  raised 
under  the  same  social  conditions.  One  of  these  characteristics  is  a 
pronounced  precocity. 

*Lauvriere.  Of).  Cit.,  page.  45. 


380      POE:  A  BIBLIOGRAPHIC  STUDY 

Such  individuals  are  solitary,  live  apart,  concentrate  on  special 
subjects,  and,  as  a  rule,  are  unbalanced,  with  a  predisposition  to 
melancholy.  They  are  especially  attracted  by  whatever  is  fantastic. 
With  few  exceptions  they  belong  to  that  class  of  degenerates  known  as 
reasoning  idiots.' 

Must  we  not,  in  reading  these  lines,  admit  that,  in  addition  to  these 
leading  characteristics,  the  unfortunate  Poe  possessed  all  these  second 
ary  traits  which  so  indelibly  and  cruelly  marked  the  physiognomy 
of  this  hereditary  madman,  doomed  not  only  to  abnormal  mental 
peculiarities  but  especially  to  dipsomaniacal  fury. 

Lauvriere  has  taken  a  very  broad  generalization  of 
Magnan's,  which  possibly  was  intended  as  a  reference  to 
"psychoneuroses,"  and  has  used  it  as  proof  that  "la  Dip- 
somanie  n'est  qu'un  symptome  de  la  folie  hereditaire." 
The  explanation  given  of  the  duality  of  Poe's  personality, 
technically  correct,  assumed  as  true  statements  of  the 
facts  of  Poe's  life  that  had  no  existence  except  in  Gris- 
wold's  untrue  assertions.  In  his  scientific  enthusiasm, 
Lauvriere  fails  to  take  into  account  those  things  that  are 
a  matter  of  common  knowledge.  Possibly  a  study  of  the 
context  accompanying  the  excerpt  from  Magnan  would 
show  that  Lauvriere's  interpretation  is  misleading.  It 
certainly  is  not  a  fact  that  syndromes  typifying  definite 
neuroses  are  interchangeable;  nor  do  several  of  these 
manifest  themselves  in  the  same  individual  either  at  the 
same  time  or  at  different  periods  of  his  life  history.  One 
who  inherits  sick  headache  does  not  have  epilepsy  as  a 
complicating  factor,  however  closely  related  be  their 
origin.  Neurasthenia  remains  neurasthenia  and  by  no 
means,  directly  or  indirectly,  does  it  necessarily  change 
into  other  neuroses.  Dipsomania  is  not  a  term  synony 
mous  with  insanity;  neither  by  heredity  nor  directly  does 
it  bear  a  closer  relation  to  mental  diseases  than  do  the 
other  neuroses.  Should  a  mental  disturbance  develop 
because  of  changed  cerebral  circulation,  this  is  directly 
due  to  an  organic  change  produced  because  of  meningeal 
involvement,  whereas  insanity  is  essentially  a  functional 


POE:  A  BIBLIOGRAPHIC  STUDY      381 

disturbance,  without  an  organic  basis,  and  having  no  dis 
coverable  pathological  changes  as  a  foundation.  Dipso 
mania  has,  as  a  predisposing  factor,  not  insanity,  but  a 
direct  alcoholic  inheritance.  To  call  dipsomaniacs  insane, 
or  to  class  them  among  the  mentally  unsound,  is  not 
justified  by  our  experience,  even  though,  theoretically,  they 
belong  to  the  same  group  and,  at  times,  do  show  traces  of 
nervous  instability  with  occasional  irrational  acts.  Had 
this  unsoundness  taken  the  form  of  megrim,  no  such  repre 
hensible  term  would  have  been  applied. 

To  further  make  plain  Poe's  condition,  Lauvriere 
quotes  Barine:* 

Recently,  Arvede  Barine,  in  three  brilliant  articles  overflowing 
with  generous  enthusiasm,  believed  he  had  found  in  dipsomania, 
alone,  the  key  to  this  enigma.  But  this  dipsomania  of  Poe,  as  we  have 
stated,  can  not  be  regarded  as  a  form  of  drunkenness;  rather  it  is 
absolutely  the  result  of  alcoholic  degeneration  and  is  in  fact  a  general 
disease  of  the  mind.  .  .  .  It  is  in  vain  that  the  frightened  victim  [of 
dipsomania]  repeatedly  attempts  to  regain  self  control,  and  takes 
oaths  of  reformation  in  attempting  to  strengthen  his  will-power  over 
this  alcoholic  compulsion — an  enemy  that  has  now  become  a  part  of 
his  flesh. 

In  spite  of  all  his  efforts  the  vice  persists  and,  unobtrusively,  it 
accomplishes  its  task  by  slowly  undermining  his  bodily  functions; 
with  an  unstrung  nervous  system  he  becomes  progressively  weakened 
physically,  and  there  only  remains  moral  insensibility  to  the  finer 
things  of  life,  while  all  that  is  left  is  mental  anarchy.  There  is  a  feverish 
activity  which  ends  in  hopeless  impotence,  and,  in  place  of  ambitions 
realized,  only  heart-breaking  disappointments.  It  ends  in  hopeless 
weakness.  There  comes  fierce  criticisms  or  exalted  praise;  monomania 
of  persecution,  or  the  brilliant  sparkling  of  a  supreme  genius;  sensa 
tional  mystification,  or  a  tenacious  pursuit  of  gigantic  projects. 

Although,  occasionally,  it  happens  that  dipsomaniacs 
give  evidence  of  a  disturbed  mentality,  by  no  possible  theory 
can  they  be  called  madmen.  I  have  many  friends — lawyers, 
physicians,  occasionally  clergymen,  and  men  prominent 
in  civil  and  business  life — who,  possessing  exceptional 
mental  endowments,  are  the  victims  of  this  inheritance. 
Frequently  they  succeed  in  fighting  off  their  periodical 

*Lauvriere.  Op.  Cit.,  page  306. 


382      POE:  A  BIBLIOGRAPHIC  STUDY 

seizures;  yet,  when  the  obsession  does  overwhelm  them 
they  will  disappear  for  a  few  days  or  for  weeks.  What 
happens  during  this  period  does  not  concern  the  world — 
as  a  rule.  Whether  they  are  able  to  remain  in  control  of 
their  distraught  nerves,  or  whether  they  are  swept  away 
by  the  impetuosity  of  uncontrollable  compulsions,  they 
are  equally  sufferers  from  an  hereditary  neurosis.  By  no 
method  of  reasoning  can  this  be  considered  tantamount 
to  insanity;  nor  justly  can  they  be  called  insane,  although 
at  times  they  may  appear  irrational,  or  be  irresponsible. 

Lauvriere's  inclusion  of  dipsomania,  insanity,  moral 
abnormalities,  and  genius  in  the  same  class  is  not  one  that 
can  be  supported  by  any  alienistic  theory  with  which  I  am 
familiar,  however  closely  they  may  be  related  basically. 
That  Lauvriere  has  widened  his  group  so  as  to  include  men 
of  genius  is  only  in  line  with  statements  long  ago  made 
which  never  have  been  accepted  by  alienists.  In  no  cir 
cumstances  can  their  mental  state  come  under  the  usually 
accepted  definition  of  insanity :  "A  condition  of  intellectual 
disturbance  characterized  by  delusions  out  of  which  the 
patient  cannot  be  reasoned." 

Yet  Lauvriere  furnishes  a  long  list  of  names  of  those 
whom  he  includes  in  his  classification,  especially  many 
English  writers.  Among  them  are  Swift,  Johnson,  Blake, 
Burton,  Rochester  and  others,  and  he  adduces  evidence  of 
their  mental  unsoundness.  That  he  excludes  much  of  French 
literature  from  the  taint  of  such  origin  is  noteworthy* 

If  French  literature  present  less  abnormal  talent  and  genius,  it  is 
probably  because  the  French  spirit  is  more  moderate  and  has  been, 
for  a  long  period,  under  the  moral  discipline  of  the  XVII  century. 

Evidently  a  nation  cannot  judge  of  its  susceptibility  to 
such  a  charge  more  discriminatingly  than  can  an  indi 
vidual.  My  own  conception  of  French  psychology  is  some 
what  different. 

*Lauvricrc.  Op.  Cit.,  page  704. 


POE:  A  BIBLIOGRAPHIC  STUDY      383 

It  is  true  that  many  names  mentioned  by  Lauvriere 
have  legends  associated  with  them  that  would  indicate 
peculiarities  of  character  or  accentuated  mental  conditions 
in  their  possessors  which  would  differentiate  them  from 
the  standards  we  have  adopted  and  by  which  we  judge 
the  average  man.  Abnormal  development  of  one  particular 
faculty  is  regarded  as  a  "gift";  yet  it  presupposes  a  cor 
responding  deficiency  in  some  other  mental  quality.  There 
is  no  such  thing  as  a  "universal  genius."  The  brilliant 
orator,  the  musical  genius,  and  the  gifted  painter  are  not,  as 
a  rule,  characterized  by  "common  sense";  and  frequently 
they  show  a  deficiency  of  mental  poise  because  they  lack 
some  prosaic  quality  with  which  the  average  individual  is 
endowed.  An  unbiased  and  unsympathetic  investigation 
into  the  life  history  of  most  of  our  great  men,  whether  of 
letters,  science,  or  the  arts,  would  exhibit  many  personal 
peculiarities,  if  not  mental  abnormalities.  While,  possibly, 
the  "strict  moral  discipline  of  the  XVI I  century "  may  have 
diminished  this  tendency  among  the  French,  Lauvriere 
finds  it  even  there.  Nor  does  he  fail  to  adduce  the  authority 
of  antiquity  as  proof  of  "the  insanity  of  genius."* 

This  question  is  as  old  as  the  world.  The  ancients  saw  no  differ 
ence  between  the  revelations  of  the  wise-men  and  the  ravings  of  the 
mad-men.  For  this  reason  they  believed  that  the  delusions  induced 
by  the  gods  were  more  trustworthy  than  were  the  deductions  which 
were  the  result  of  human  thought.  .  .  .  There  is  a  third  delirium, 
known  as  inspiration  which,  entirely  enthusing  a  pure  soul,  animates 
and  transports  it.  Nullum  magnum  ingenium  sine  mixtura  dementiae 
was  an  adage  evidencing  the  wisdom  of  the  ancients. 

Lauvriere  gives  this  judgment  of  Poe  and  his  writings  :t 

The  important  question  of  the  relationship  of  genius  to  insanity 
comes  so  definitely  in  the  case  of  Poe,  that  Poe  himself  has  asked  it. 
For  this  reason  we  cannot  avoid  it :  let  us  treat  it  frankly,  not  with  the 
expectation  of  an  impossible  solution  but  in  the  hope  of  casting  on  it 
the  light  of  our  own  investigations  and  that  of  many  others. 

The  whole  monstrous  work  trembles  beneath  a  wind  of  madness, 
and  is  only  held  together  by  some  harmonious  law  of  logic  and  by  the 

*Lauvriere.  Of).  Cit.  page  685. 
fLauvriere.  Of).  Cit.  page.  698. 


384      POE:  A  BIBLIOGRAPHIC  STUDY 

secret  virtue  of  marvelous  artifice.  But  so  great  is  his  art,  which 
triumphs  over  madness,  that,  from  the  coldest  of  judges,  comes  the 
verdict :  'No,  this  extraordinary  man  who,  in  a  few  works,  has  given  to 
humanity  some  of  its  rarest  thrills  and  supremest  emotions,  was  indeed 
mad;  or  if  the  word  genius  really  means  originality,  there  was  in  his 
madness  an  inseparable  as  well  as  an  undeniable  mixture  of  genius.' 

This  is  an  outrage  on  the  memory  of  Poe  comparable 
only  to  the  verbal  assault  of  Griswold.  That  it  is  the  result 
of  ignorance  and  not  of  malevolence  may  abate  the  moral 
turpitude  but  it  does  not  excuse  the  act.  It  is  due  the 
good  name  of  Poe  that  this  stigma  cast  on  his  memory  be 
removed,  provided  a  fair  investigation  of  the  facts  of  Poe's 
life  show  that  it  is  undeserved.  It  is  certain  that  Lauv 
riere's  psychological  studies  do  not  justify  him  in  passing 
this  verdict. 

Beyond  the  question  of  Poe's  abnormal  psychology,  as 
expounded  by  Lauvriere,  possibly  I  have  no  right  to  go. 
In  his  critical  discussion  of  Poe's  work,  Lauvriere's  special 
effort  is  to  prove  that  they  are  the  outpourings  of  a  dis 
eased  brain,  not  the  result  of  a  logical  comprehension  and 
intelligent  effort  at  producing  effects  worthy  of  the  world's 
approval.  However,  there  are  certain  comparisons  with 
other  writers  which  equally  exhibit  Lauvriere's  critical 
capacity.  For  some  unknown  reason  he  links  the  name  of 
Byron  with  that  of  Poe,  and  constantly  refers  to  the 
influence  Byron  exerted  over  him,  claiming  that  Poe's  in 
spiration  was  due  to  "son  maitre  Byron,"  or  that  "enthou- 
siaste  de  Childe  Harold,  ait  voulu  se  melee  de  devenir 
1'emule  de  Byron  autrement  qu'en  vers?"  The  repetition  of 
these,  and  similar  assertions,  suggests  that  the  general 
Byronic  influence  is  an  ascertained  fact,  although,  as  far 
as  I  can  find,  no  attempt  has  been  made  to  establish  any 
such  association.  Again  Lauvriere  couples  the  name  of 
Whitman  with  that  of  Poe,  calling  them  the  only  two  great 
poets  America  has  produced.  While  it  is  true  that  other 
writers,  usually  those  of  European  environment  with  a 


POE:  A  BIBLIOGRAPHIC  STUDY      385 

leaning  toward  decadence,  have  put  Whitman  forward 
as  our  greatest  contributor  to  poetic  literature,  a  study  of 
their  other  favorite  writers,  as  well  as  of  their  own  pro 
ductions,  hardly  deserves  a  protest.  It  is  certain  that  in 
the  exhibition  of  the  human  body  naked,  or  but  slightly 
draped,  and  in  the  outspoken  discussion  of  the  human 
passions;  in  the  lack  of  concealment,  and  in  the  absence 
of  those  refinements  which  differentiate  the  savage  from 
the  civilized  man,  Whitman  stands  without  a  peer,  al 
though  many  imitators  rival  him  in  vulgarity.  To  compare 
him,  either  as  a  poet  or  as  a  writer,  with  Poe,  would  seem  to 
reflect  more  upon  the  critical  capacity  of  Lauvriere  than 
upon  the  literary  reputation  of  Poe. 

That  this  work  of  Lauvriere  must  possess  merit  as 
literature,  irrespective  of  its  scientific  or  critical  value,  is 
evident  by  the  great  reputation  this  study  has  achieved  in 
France,  and  the  tribute  paid  it  when  it  was  crowned  by 
the  French  Academy.  Whether  or  not  it  has  been  equally 
honored  by  French  alienists,  I  do  not  know. 

It  is  said  that  Lauvriere's  period  of  preparation  extended 
over  six  years.  Judged  by  the  psychopathic  value  of  this 
labor  seven  months  should  have  more  than  sufficed. 

If  the  crown  with  which  this  work  has  been  distinguished 
was  bestowed  for  its  literary  merits,  probably  the  award 
was  just ;  if  for  its  value  as  a  contribution  to  the  scientific 
study  of  Poe's  psychology,  I  dissent.  Further,  as  an  alien 
ist  I  claim  that  the  jewels  adorning  this  crown  are  either  of 
synthetic  manufacture  or  that  they  are  composed  of  paste. 

While  there  were  many  of  Poe's  old  friends  and  former 
associates  who  were  loyal  to  his  memory  and  who,  on 
numerous  occasions,  rallied  to  his  defense,  their  kind  re 
collections  and  assertions  of  his  good  qualities  availed  little. 
Their  voices  were  drowned  by  the  vehemence  of  Gris- 
wold's  denunciations.  In  the  "Psychopathic Study"  I  have 


386      POE:  A  BIBLIOGRAPHIC  STUDY 

quoted  many  of  these  friends,  but  so  forgotten  are  their 
statements,  and  so  scattered  are  they  in  the  pages  of 
obsolete  magazines,  that  only  general  reference  can  be 
made  to  their  statements. 

Lambert  A.  Wilmer,  in  a  notable  book  published  in  1859, 
now  a  bibliographical  rarity,  actively  defended  Poe. 

OUR  PRESS  GANG  ;  Or,  A  Complete  Exposition  of  the  Cor 
ruptions  and  Crimes  of  the  American  Newspapers.  By 
Lambert  A.  Wilmer  (Ex-editor).  Philadelphia:  J.  T. 
Lloyd.  London:  Sampson  Low,  Son  &  Co.  1859. 

This  is  the  same  Wilmer  who  was  editor  of  the  "Satur 
day  Visiter,"  of  Baltimore,  in  which  Poe  won  a  prize  with 
his  "Tales  of  the  Folio  Club."  For  many  years  afterward, 
Poe  and  Wilmer  were  more  or  less  friendly,  and  corres 
ponded  with  each  other  at  irregular  intervals.  It  was  the 
"Quacks  of  Helicon,"  written  by  Wilmer,  that  Poe  so 
ardently  defended,  and  in  a  review  of  which  he  strongly 
upheld  Wilmer's  charges  of  literary  corruption.  * 

While  Wilmer's  book  was  not  written  for  the  specific 
purpose  of  rehabilitating  Poe,  it  happens  that  it  does 
strongly  corroborate  many  of  Poe's  contentions,  and  jus 
tifies  the  stand  Poe  took  toward  many  writers  and  much 
that  they  wrote.  If  conditions  were  such  as  this  book 
asserts,  it  would  have  taken  a  flail  longer  and  stronger 
than  the  one  wielded  by  Poe  to  have  cleared  this  dese 
crated  temple. 

In  speaking  of  a  newspaper  attack  on  the  memory  of 
Poe,  Wilmer  quotes: 

Several  years  ago  I  published  the  following  article  in  a  Philadelphia 
weekly  paper: 

'Edgar  A.  Poe  and  his  Calumniators. — There  is  a  spurious  biog 
raphy  of  Edgar  A.  Poe  which  has  been  extensively  published  in 
newspapers  and  magazines.  It  is  a  hypocritical,  canting  document,  ex 
pressing  commiseration  for  the  follies  and  'crimes'  of  that  'poor  out 
cast  ;'  the  writer  being  evidently  just  such  an  one  as  the  Pharisee  who 


POE:  A  BIBLIOGRAPHIC  STUDY      387 

thanked  God  that  he  was  a  better  fellow  than  the  publican.  But  we 
can  tell  the  slanderous  and  malicious  miscreant  who  composed  the 
aforesaid  biography,  that  Edgar  Poe  was  not  the  man  described  by 
this  anonymous  scribbler.  Some  circumstances  mentioned  by  the 
slanderous  hypocrite  we  know  to  be  false,  and  we  have  no  doubt  in  the 
world  that  nearly  all  of  his  statements,  intended  to  throw  odium  and 
discredit  on  the  character  of  the  deceased,  are  scandalous  inventions. 
We  have  much  more  to  say  on  this  subject,  and  we  pledge  ourselves 
to  show  that  the  article  we  speak  of  is  false  and  defamatory,  when  the 
skulking  author  of  it  becomes  magnanimous  enough  to  take  the 
responsibility  by  fixing  his  name  to  his  malignant  publication.'  I  do 
not  know  that  this  vindication  was  copied  by  a  single  paper;  whereas 
the  whole  press  of  the  country  seemed  desirous  of  giving  circulation 
and  authenticity  to  the  slanders. 

Again,  under  the  title  "Defamation  of  the  Dead," 
Wilmer  refers  to  the  newspaper  attacks  on  the  memory  of 
Poe: 

The  late  Edgar  A.  Poe  has  been  represented  by  the  American  news 
papers  in  general  as  a  reckless  libertine  and  a  confirmed  inebriate.  I 
do  not  recognize  him  by  this  description,  though  I  was  intimately 
acquainted  with  the  man,  and  had  every  opportunity  to  study  his 
character.  I  have  been  in  company  with  him  every  day  for  many 
months  together ;  and,  within  a  period  of  twelve  years,  I  did  not  see 
him  inebriated;  no,  not  in  a  single  instance.  I  do  not  believe  that  he 
was  evef  habitually  intemperate  until  he  was  made  so  by  grief  and 
many  bitter  disappointments.  And,  with  respect  to  the  charge  of 
libertinism,  I  have  similar  testimony  to  offer.  Of  all  men  that  I  ever 
knew,  he  was  the  most  passionless;  and  I  appeal  to  his  writings  for 
confirmation  of  this  report.  Poets  of  ardent  temperament,  such  as 
Anacreon,  Ovid,  Byron,  and  Tom  Moore,  will  display  their  constitu 
tional  peculiarity  in  their  literary  compositions ;  but  Edgar  Poe  never 
wrote  a  line  that  gives  expression  to  a  libidinous  thought.  The  female 
creations  of  his  fancy  are  all  either  statues  or  angels.  His  conversation, 
at  all  times,  was  as  chaste  as  that  of  a  vestal,  and  his  conduct,  while  I 
knew  him,  was  correspondingly  blameless. 

Poe,  during  his  lifetime,  was  feared  and  hated  by  many  newspaper 
editors  and  other  literary  animalcules,  some  of  whom,  or  their  friends, 
had  been  the  subjects  of  his  scorching  critiques;  and  others  disliked 
him,  naturally  enough,  because  he  was  a  man  of  superior  intellect. 
While  he  lived,  these  resentful  gentlemen  were  discreetly  silent,  but 
they  nursed  their  wrath  to  keep  it  warm,  and  the  first  intelligence  of 
his  death  was  the  signal  for  a  general  onslaught.  The  primal  slander 
against  the  deceased  bard  was  published  in  a  leading  journal  of  Phila 
delphia,  the  'literary  editor'  of  which  [English]  had  formerly  received 
not  only  a  critical  rebuke,  but  something  like  personal  chastisement 
also,  from  the  hands  of  the  departed  poet. 

Since  that  time,  by  continued  and  well  directed  efforts,  the  news- 


388      POE:  A  BIBLIOGRAPHIC  STUDY 

papers  of  our  country  have  succeeded  in  giving  Poe  a  character  'as 
black  as  Vulcan's  stithy,'  and  in  this  hideous  drapery,  woven  by 
demoniac  malice,  the  unrivalled  poet  of  America  is  now  presented  to 
the  world. 

It  was  the  article  published  in  the  "Edinburgh  Review," 
quoted  by  the  editor  of  the  "Ladies'  Repository"  that 
induced  Mrs.  Whitman  to  break  her  long  silence.  She 
took  up  the  gauge  of  battle  by  publishing  her  monograph 
on  Poe — the  first  book  entirely  devoted  to  a  study  of  his 
morals  and  to  the  rehabilitation  of  his  name. 

EDGAR  POE  AND  His  CRITICS.  By  Sarah  Helen  Whitman. 
New  York:  Rudd  &  Carleton,  130  Grand  Street, 
MDCCCLX. 

In  the  preface  Mrs.  Whitman  says: 

Dr.  Griswold's  Memoir  of  Edgar  Poe  has  been  extensively  read  and 
circulated;  its  perverted  facts  and  baseless  assumptions  have  been 
adopted  into  every  subsequent  memoir  and  notice  of  the  poet,  and 
have  been  translated  into  many  languages.  For  ten  years  this  great 
wrong  to  the  dead  has  passed  unchallenged  and  unrebuked. 

It  has  been  assumed  by  a  recent  English  critic  that  'Edgar  Poe  had 
no  friends.'  As  an  index  to  a  more  equitable  and  intelligible  theory  of 
the  idiosyncrasies  of  his  life,  and  as  an  earnest  protest  against  the 
spirit  of  Dr.  Griswold's  unjust  memoir,  these  pages  are  submitted  to 
his  more  candid  readers  and  critics  by  One  of  his  Friends. 

This  confession  was  one  not  easy  to  make,  for  it  was  to 
Mrs.  Whitman  that  Poe  was  engaged  to  be  married  while 
he  was  still  a  resident  of  Fordham ;  and  it  was  his  reported 
actions  with  reference  to  breaking  the  engagement,  of 
which  Griswold  made  so  foul  a  use  in  his  attempt  to 
blacken  the  character  of  Poe. 

Quoting  from  Griswold's  Memoir: 

He  said  to  an  acquaintance  in  New  York,  who  congratulated  him 
upon  the  prospect  of  his  union  with  a  person  of  such  genius  and  so 
many  virtues,  'it  is  a  mistake:  I  am  not  going  to  be  married.'  'Why, 
Mr.  Poe,  I  understand  that  the  banns  have  been  published.'  'I  cannot 
help  what  you  have  heard,  my  dear  Madam,  but  mark  me,  I  will 
not  marry  her.'  He  left  town  the  same  evening  and  next  day  was 
reeling  through  the  streets  of  the  city  which  was  the  lady's  home,  and 
in  the  evening — that  should  have  been  the  evening  before  the  bridal, 


POE:  A  BIBLIOGRAPHIC  STUDY      389 

in  his  drunkenness  he  committed  such  outrages  as  made  it  necessary 
to  summon  the  police.  Here  was  no  insanity  leading  to  indulgence:  he 
went  from  New  York  with  a  determination  thus  to  induce  an  ending 
of  the  engagement;  and  he  succeeded. 

Even  had  this  story  been  true,  the  use  of  so  prominent  a 
woman's  name  to  point  a  tale  was  not  a  chivalrous  act.  Asa 
matter  of  fact  the  whole  scene,  so  graphically  painted,  was 
a  fabrication,  and  the  proof  that  it  was  not  true  was  at 
once  offered,  but  Griswold  never  retracted  it. 

Mrs.  Whitman  did  break  her  engagement  with  Poe  be 
cause  she  found  he  had  not  kept  his  promise  of  abstinence. 
He  was  not  rude  in  her  presence  nor  did  he  exhibit  any 
abnormality  except  as  she  has  described.  It  was  she  who 
broke  the  engagement,  in  spite  of  Poe's  protests  and  his 
promises  of  reform. 

Mrs.  Whitman,  in  a  letter  to  Gill,  declared  what  already 
had  been  offered  in  evidence,  that : 

No  such  scene  as  that  described  by  Dr.  Griswold  ever  took  place  in 
my  presence.  No  one,  certainly  no  woman  who  had  the  slightest  ac 
quaintance  with  Edgar  Poe,  could  have  credited  the  story  for  an 
instant.  He  was  instinctively  and  essentially  a  gentleman,  utterly 
incapable,  even  in  moments  of  excitement  and  delirium,  of  such  an 
outrage  as  Dr.  Griswold  has  ascribed  to  him. 

She  dismissed  the  Griswold  allegations  very  briefly : 

It  is  not  our  purpose  at  present  specially  to  review  Dr.  Griswold's 
numerous  misrepresentations,  and  misstatements.  Some  of  the  more 
injurious  of  these  anecdotes  were  disproved,  during  the  life  of  Dr. 
Griswold,  in  the  New  York  Tribune,  and  other  leading  journals,  with 
out  eliciting  from  him  any  public  statement  in  explanation  or  apology. 
Quite  recently  we  have  had,  through  the  columns  of  the  'Home  Jour 
nal,'  the  refutation  of  another  calumnious  story,  which  for  ten  years 
has  been  going  the  rounds  of  the  English  and  American  periodicals. 

We  have  authority  for  stating  that  many  of  the  disgraceful  anec 
dotes,  so  industriously  collected  by  Dr.  Griswold,  are  utterly  fabulous, 
while  others  are  perversions  of  the  truth,  more  injurious  in  their 
effects  than  unmitigated  fiction.  We  propose  simply  to  point  out  some 
unformed  critical  estimates  which  have  obtained  currency  among 
readers  who  have  had  but  a  partial  acquaintance  with  Mr.  Poe's  more 
imaginative  writings,  and  to  record  our  own  impressions  of  the  char 
acter  and  genius  of  the  poet,  as  derived  from  personal  observation  and 
from  the  testimony  of  those  who  knew  him. 


390      POE:  A  BIBLIOGRAPHIC  STUDY 

Mrs.  Whitman  was  a  woman  of  remarkable  personality. 
John  Hay  (himself  a  marked  example  of  a  sane  genius  with 
depressive  seizures)  described  the  dominating  influence  she 
exerted  over  him  while  he  was  at  Brown  University. 

Mrs.  Whitman,  knowing  her  subject  and  dealing  with 
so  many  phases  of  it  that  were  personally  embarrassing, 
treated  the  whole  matter  as  only  a  woman  of  great  refine 
ment  could.  It  is  true  that  the  picture  she  draws  is  colored 
by  an  overweening  tenderness ;  but  one  cannot  too  harshly 
criticise  grief  for  a  dead  friend,  and  if  tears  of  sorrow 
blind  the  eyes  and  mental  reservations  prevent  over-full 
statements  of  matters  essentially  personal,  can  we  wonder 
if  the  outline  occasionally  is  blurred?  She  does  not  refer  to 
her  own  close  association  with  Poe,  but  describes,  in  a 
manner  purely  impersonal,  not  so  much  her  admiration  of 
Poe,  the  man,  as  her  admiration  for  Poe,  the  man  of  letters 

She  describes,  as  only  a  woman  can,  what  there  was  in 
Poe  that  so  strongly  appealed  to  the  women  with  whom  he 
associated.  Apparently,  the  basis  of  that  appeal  was  the 
complete  deference  and  the  chivalrous  attitude  which, 
even  in  thought,  characterized  Poe's  treatment  of  women. 
Never  in  the  whole  course  of  his  life,  either  in  what  he 
wrote  or  what  he  said,  did  he  treat  woman  other  than  as 
the  angel  embodiment  of  man.  In  Mrs.  Whitman's  sketch 
is  to  be  noted  especially  an  absolute  freedom  from  any 
touch  of  jealousy  as  she  couples  Poe's  name  with  that  of 
other  women  with  which  it  had  been  associated. 

There  is  a  quiet  drawing  room  in  —  —  Street,  New  York, — a  sort 
of  fragrant  and  delicious  'clovernook'  in  the  heart  of  the  noisy  city — 
where  hung  some  three  years  ago,  the  original  painting  from  which  this 
engraving  [referring  to  the  portrait  accompanying  Poe's  first  volume 
of  collected  works]  is  a  copy.  Happening  to  meet  there  at  the  time  a 
company  of  authors  and  poets,  among  whom  were  Mary  Forest,  Alice 
and  Phoebe  Gary,  the  Stoddards,  T.  B.  Aldrich  and  others,  we  heard 
one  of  the  party  say,  in  speaking  of  the  portrait,  that  its  aspect  was 
that  of  a  beautiful  and  desolate  shrine  from  which  the  Genius  had 
departed.  .  .  .  Near  this  luminous  but  impassive  face,  with  its  sad 
and  soulless  eyes,  was  a  portrait  of  Poe's  unrelenting  biographist. 


POE:  A  BIBLIOGRAPHIC  STUDY      391 

In  a  recess  opposite  hung  a  picture  of  fascinating  Mrs. ,  whose 

genius  both  had  so  fervently  admired,  and  for  whose  coveted  praise 
and  friendship  both  had  been  competitors.  Looking  at  the  beautiful 
portrait  of  this  lady — the  face  so  full  of  enthusiasm,  and  dreamy 
tropical  sunshine — remembering  the  eloquent  words  of  her  praise,  as 
expressed  in  the  prodigal  and  passionate  exaggerations  of  her  verse, 
one  ceases  to  wonder  at  the  rivalries  and  enmities  enkindled  in  the 
hearts  of  those  who  admired  her  genius  and  her  grace, — rivalries  which 
the  grave  itself  could  not  cancel  or  appease. 

Again  she  wrote : 

A  woman  of  fine  genius,  who  at  this  time  made  his  acquaintance, 
says,  in  some  recently  published  comments  on  his  writings:  'It  was  in 
the  brilliant  circles  that  assembled  in  the  winter  of  1845-6  at  the 
homes  of  Dr.  Dewey,  Miss  Anna  C.  Lynch,  Mr.  Lawson,  and  others, 
that  we  first  met  Edgar  Poe.  His  manners  were  at  these  reunions  re 
fined  and  pleasing,  and  his  style  and  scope  of  conversation  that  of  a 
gentleman  and  a  scholar.  Whatever  may  have  been  his  previous  career, 
there  was  nothing  in  his  manner  nor  in  his  appearance  to  indicate 
excesses.  He  delighted  in  the  society  of  superior  women  and  had  an 
exquisite  perception  of  all  the  graces  of  manner,  and  shades  of  expres 
sion.  He  was  an  admiring  listener,  and  an  unobtrusive  observer.  We 
all  recollect  the  interest  felt  at  the  time  in  everything  emanating  from 
his  pen — the  relief  it  was  from  the  dullness  of  ordinary  writers — the 
certainty  of  something  fresh  and  suggestive.  His  critiques  were  read 
with  avidity;  not  that  he  convinced  the  judgment,  but  that  people 
felt  their  ability  and  their  courage.  Right  or  wrong  he  was  terribly  in 
earnest.' 

Mrs.  Whitman  dissented  from  the  frequently  expressed 
view  that  Poe's  own  personality  was  infused  into  that  of 
the  characters  which  he  often  so  vividly  depicted  in  his 
weird  tales  and  poems,  but  she  did  believe  that  his  ab 
normal  mentality  was  directly  responsible  for  the  character 
of  his  creative  work. 

His  proud  intellectual  assumption  of  the  supremacy  of  the  individual 
soul  was  but  an  expression  of  his  imperious  longings  for  immortality 
and  its  recoil  from  the  haunting  phantasms  of  death  and  annihila 
tion;  while  the  theme  of  all  his  more  imaginative  writings  is  a  love 
that  survives  the  dissolution  of  the  mortal  body  and  oversweeps  the 
grave.  His  mental  and  temperamental  idiosyncracies  fitted  him  to 
come  readily  into  rapport  with  psychal  and  spiritual  influences.  Many 
of  his  strange  narratives  had  a  degree  of  truth  in  them  which  he  was 
unwilling  to  avow.  In  one  of  this  class  he  makes  the  narrator  say,  "I 
cannot  even  now  regard  these  experiences  as  a  dream,  yet  it  is  difficult 
for  us  now  to  say  how  otherwise  they  should  be  termed.  Let  us  suppose 
only  that  the  soul  of  man,  today,  is  on  the  brink  of  stupendous  psychal 


392      POE:  A  BIBLIOGRAPHIC  STUDY 

discoveries.  .  .  .  He  often  spoke  of  the  imageries  and  incidents  of  his 
inner  life  as  more  vivid  and  veritable  than  those  of  his  outer  exper 
ience.  We  find  in  some  pencilled  notes  appended  to  a  manuscript  copy 
of  one  of  his  later  poems — Ligeia — the  words  'all  that  I  have  here 
expressed  were  actually  present  to  me.  Remember  the  mental  condi 
tion  which  gave  rise  to  Ligeia — recall  the  passage  of  which  I  spoke, 
and  observe  the  coincidence !'  With  all  the  fine  alchemy  of  his  subtle 
intellect  he  sought  to  analyze  the  character  and  the  conditions  of  this 
introverted  life.  'I  regard  these  visions/  he  says,  'even  as  they  arise, 
with  an  awe  which  in  some  measure  moderates  or  tranquil izes  the 
ecstasy — I  so  regard  them  through  a  conviction  that  this  ecstasy,  in 
itself,  is  of  a  character  supernal  to  the  human  nature — is  a  glimpse  of 
the  spirit's  outer  world.'  .  .  .  His  mind  indeed  was  a  'Haunted 
Palace,'  echoing  to  the  footfalls  of  angels  and  demons.  'No  man,' 
he  says,  'has  recorded,  no  man  has  dared  to  record,  the  wonders  of 
his  inner  life.'  Is  there  then,  no  significance  in  this  'supernatural 
soliciting?'  Is  there  no  evidence  of  a  wise  purpose,  an  epochal  fitness, 
in  the  appearance,  at  this  precise  era,  of  a  mind  so  rarely  gifted,  and 
accessible  from  peculiarities  of  psychal  and  physical  organization  to 
the  subtle  vibrations  of  an  ethereal  medium  conveying  but  feeble 
impressions  to  the  senses  of  ordinary  persons? 

The  peculiar  character  of  his  intellect  seemed  without  a  prototype 
in  literature.  He  had  more  than  De  Quincey's  power  of  analysis,  with 
a  constructive  unity  and  completeness  of  which  the  great  English 
essayist  has  given  no  indication.  His  pre-eminence  in  constructive  and 
analytical  skill  was  beginning  to  be  universally  admitted,  and  the 
fame  and  prestige  of  his  genius  were  rapidly  increasing.  ...  A 
recent  and  not  too  lenient  critic  tells  us  that  'it  was  his  sensitiveness 
to  artistic  imperfections,  rather  than  any  malignity  of  feeling,  that 
made  his  criticisms  so  severe,  and  procured  him  a  host  of  enemies 
among  persons  towards  whom  he  entertained  no  personal  ill-will.' 

Mrs.  Whitman's  final  estimate  is  characteristic  of  the 
woman : 

We  confess  to  a  half  faith  in  the  old  superstition  of  the  significance 
of  anagrams  when  we  find,  in  the  transposed  letters  of  Edgar  Poe  s 
name,  the  words,  a  God-peer:  words  which,  taken  in  connection  with 
his  daring  speculations,  seem  to  have  in  them  a  mocking  and  malign 
import  which  is  not  man's  nor  angel's. 

The  book  is  filled  with  personal  reminiscences  and  is 
illustrated  by  many  anecdotes  showing  Poe's  lovable  nature 
and  the  tender  care  he  gave  his  wife.  It  barely  touches  on 
matters  controversial,  nor  is  there  more  than  a  sympa 
thetic  reference  to  his  sins  of  commission.  While  she  does 
not  deny  that  Poe  had  occasional  periods  of  intoxication, 


POE:  A  BIBLIOGRAPHIC  STUDY      393 

she  draws  a  picture  of  his  sufferings  following  these  out 
breaks  that  make  us,  who  know  the  compulsory  nature  of 
these  seizures,  more  keenly  realize  the  bitter  sorrow  that 
followed  and  how  fully  he  expiated  them. 

Poe's  private  letters  to  his  friends  offer  abundant  evidence  that  he 
was  not  insensible  to  the  keenest  pangs  of  remorse.  Again  and  again 
did  he  say  to  the  Demon  that  tracked  his  path  'Anathema  Maran- 
atha'  but  again  and  again  did  it  return  to  torture  and  subdue.  He  saw 
the  handwriting  on  the  wall  but  had  no  power  to  avert  the  impending 
doom. 

Apparently  the  writings  of  Poe  made  a  strong  appeal  to 
the  psychical  beliefs  that  are  said  to  have  dominated 
Mrs.  Whitman.  She  was  a  student  of  the  occult  and 
strongly  believed  in  spirit  manifestations. 

No  subject  of  recent  years  has  excited  more  interest 
among  psychologists  and  men  of  science  than  has  this 
question  of  a  "sixth"  sense. 

Although  eminent  names  recently  have  been  added  to 
those  who  acknowledge  definite  belief  in  spiritualistic  phe 
nomena,  no  answer  can  be  made  that  may  be  considered 
final;  nor  has  any  proof  been  adduced  that  this  "sixth 
sense,"  which  I  believe  does  exist,  is  more  of  a  phenomenon 
than  the  other  five,  except  that  only  certain  highly  or 
ganized  "sensitives,"  or  mediums,  possess  it  and  for  this 
reason  develop  auto-hypnosis. 

Mrs.  J.  K.  Barney,  who  was  an  intimate  friend  of  Mrs. 
Whitman,  and  who  was  invited  to  meet  Poe  during  one  of 
his  visits,  gives  this  remarkable  account  of  an  incident  that 
is  worth  recording : 

On  one  of  his  visits  to  Providence,  Mrs.  Whitman  invited  a  number 
of  literary  people  to  her  home  that  they  might  have  the  opportunity 
of  seeing  Poe  and  listening  to  his  wonderful  converse.  The  guests  were 
assembled — all  distinguished  people — discussing  books  and  the  like. 
Poe  and  Mrs.  Whitman  sat  across  the  room  from  each  other.  They 
were  theorizing  on  the  poetic  principle.  After  a  time  the  other  voices 
ceased.  All  were  drawn  toward  Poe,  whose  eyes  were  gleaming  and 
whose  utterance  was  most  eloquent.  His  eyes  were  fixed  on  Mrs.  Whit 
man.  After  another  time  Poe  stopped  talking,  keeping  his  eyes  on 


394      POE:  A  BIBLIOGRAPHIC  STUDY 

Helen.  Of  a  sudden  the  company  perceived  that  Poe  and  Helen  were 
greatly  agitated.  Simultaneously  both  rose  from  their  chairs  and 
walked  toward  the  center  of  the  room.  Meeting  he  held  her  in  his 
arms,  kissed  her;  they  stood  for  a  moment,  then  he  led  her  to  her  seat. 
There  Was  a  dead  silence  through  all  this  strange  proceeding. 

While  Poe  did  not  so  intend,  it  was  a  marvelous  exhi 
bition  of  the  mesmeric  power  he  unconsciously  exerted 
over  the  "sensitives"  whom  he  so  strongly  influenced. 

Although  Poe  had  many  defenders,  as  a  rule  all  that 
was  written  about  him,  because  of  the  obscurity  of  the 
journals  in  which  publication  was  made,  was  more  or  less 
ephemeral  and  difficult  to  collect. 

The  memoir  by  Griswold,  published  and  republished  in 
"Poe's  Works,"  for  long  remained  the  standard  and  au 
thentic  declaration  of  the  facts  of  Poe's  life.  Mrs.  Whit 
man's  was  the  first  defense  issued  in  book  form,  and  it  is 
an  appreciation  rather  than  a  biography. 

For  these  reasons,  those  who  first  attempted  the  rehabil 
itation  of  Poe  found  it  a  difficult  matter  to  overcome  the 
statements  so  confidently  made,  and  were  more  or  less  at 
a  loss  to  make  an  authoritative  answer. 

The  first  serious  attempt  to  controvert  Gr  is  wold's  state 
ments  and  to  rehabilitate  Poe's  character,  was  the  biog 
raphy  by  Gill,  published  in  1877. 

THE  LIFE  OF  EDGAR  ALLAN  POE.  By  William  Fearing  Gill. 
Illustrated.  New  York:  W.  J.  Widdleton.  1877. 

Gill  is  not  an  artist,  and  must  not  be  blamed  because  the 
outline  of  his  delineation  has  not  the  fidelity  of  a  Hogarth 
or  the  strength  of  Rembrandt.  At  least,  he  did  the  best  he 
knew  and  he  was  the  first  biographer,  after  nearly  thirty 
years  of  "consent,"  to  attempt  to  gather  the  data  and 
clearly  to  present  the  facts  on  which  a  biography  of  Poe 
should  rest.  That  he  was  carried  away  by  enthusiasm  and 
a  love  for  his  subject,  was  a  temperamental  fault  and,  in 


POE:  A  BIBLIOGRAPHIC  STUDY      395 

the  circumstances,  excusable.  While  his  life  of  Poe  cannot 
be  accepted  either  as  critical  or  unbiased,  few  biographies 
may  be  so  judged;  and,  when  they  are  thus  written,  they 
lose  much  of  their  charm,  if  not  their  value,  as  guides  for 
our  judgment 

Although  Hannay  in  his  effort  to  rehabilitate  Poe  met 
with  adverse  criticism,  and  his  statements,  as  against 
those  of  Griswold  and  Briggs,  received  slight  credence, 
he  continued  a  faithful,  if  unadvised,  defender  of  the 
poet.  Unable  to  deny  certain  allegations,  and  not  in  pos 
session  of  facts  that  would  controvert  them,  he  regarded 
these  acts  as  the  result  of  a  temporary  mental  disturbance 
rather  than  the  consequence  of  a  vicious  life. 

Another  Englishman,  John  H.  Ingram,  wrote  many 
papers  dealing  with  Poe  and  his  traducers,  and  he  prefixed 
a  memoir  to  an  edition  of  Poe's  works  that  attempted  to 
disprove  many  of  Griswold's  statements.  In  1880  he  pub 
lished  an  amplification  of  his  former  studies : 

EDGAR  ALLAN  POE:  His  Life,  Letters  and  Opinions.  By 
John  H.  Ingram.  (Quotation)  With  Portraits  of  Poe  and 
his  Mother.  (In  two  volumes)  London:  John  Hogg, 
Paternoster  Row.  1880. 

This  work  remains  a  valuable  contribution  to  the  life  of 
Poe  because  in  it  a  critical  study  was  attempted  and,  for 
the  first  time,  many  of  Griswold's  allegations  were  ques 
tioned  and  certain  of  them  were  refuted.  In  his  chapter  on 
the  "Biographies  of  Edgar  Allan  Poe,"  Ingram  sharply 
criticised  Didier,  another  Poe  memorialist,  for  "forgetting 
in  the  hurry  of  publication,  to  acknowledge  the  chief 
source  of  his  'much  fresh  and  interesting  information.' ' 
Ingram's  memory  proved  to  be  equally  treacherous  in  that 
he  made  no  mention  of  Gill's  "Life,"  although  he  discussed 
many  of  the  same  questions  that  Gill  formerly  had  argued. 


3%      POE:  A  BIBLIOGRAPHIC  STUDY 

In  March  1850  was  published,  in  the  Southern  Literary  Messenger, 
what  Griswold  styles  an  'Eulogium'  on  Poe,  but  what  really  was  a 
still  more  dastardly  attack  on  the  dead  man  than  the  unsavory  'Lud- 
wig'  article.  It  had  evidently  been  written  and  printed  in  hot  haste, 
and  was  so  disgraceful  and  cowardly  that  the  editorial  proprietor  of 
the  magazine,  Mr.  John  R.  Thompson,  deemed  it  necessary  to  append 
a  short  printed  note,  to  the  effect  that  had  it  not  been  inserted  during 
his  absence,  and  not  been  seen  by  him  till  too  late  to  stop  it,  it  should 
not  have  appeared  in  the  Messenger.  Who  wrote  this  article?  It  is 
generally  ascribed  to  Mr.  J.  M.  Daniel;  yet,  strange  to  say,  it  not  only 
uses  lengthy  passages  of  'Ludwig's'  sketch  without  inverted  commas, 
or  other  signs  of  quotation,  but,  when  Griswold's  long  'Memoir  of 
Poe'  appeared  in  the  International  Magazine,  he  also  made  use  of  long 
extracts  from  the  'Eulogium'  without  acknowledgment.  Certainly 
he  does  refer  to  it  as  his  authority  for  one  of  the  blackest  crimes  he 
charges  Poe  with,  and  which  he  himself  not  unaptly  styles  unfit  for 
'any  register  but  that  of  hell.'  Was  not  this  miscalled  'defender' 
Griswold  himself  or  some  one  acting  under  his  inspiration? 

The  few  delinquencies  of  Poe  that  Ingram  accepted  as 
true  were  explained  in  a  manner  that  does  credit  to  In- 
gram's  ingenuity  although  they  are  not  convincing  answers. 
This  extreme  partisanship  was  unfortunate  in  that  it  did 
not  aid  rehabilitating  Poe's  reputation.  To  abuse  Griswold 
and  to  ignore  the  delinquencies  with  which  Poe  was 
charged  were  not  a  sufficient  answer  to  certain  other 
serious  accusations  that  had  been  made.  Too  much  was 
known  of  Poe's  eccentricities  and  of  his  alcoholic  habits 
for  them  either  to  have  been  ignored  or  to  have  been 
passed  over  with  a  simple  denial.  Concessions  and  explan 
ations  given  by  former  biographers  were  judged  by  Ingram 
to  have  been  unwisely  made. 

The  best  known  of  these  was  the  essay  of  Baudelaire,  and  it  is  chiefly 
remarkable  as  the  attempt,  by  a  man  of  genius,  to  explain  Poe's  char 
acter  as  described  by  Griswold,  by  an  ingenious  theory  of  his  own.  Of 
course  he  failed  in  that,  however  valuable  his  essay  otherwise  may  be 
and  truly  is.  Next  in  importance  to  the  French  critic's  characterization 
of  Poe,  is  that  of  James  Hannay.  It  is  a  charming  and  appreciative 
sketch,  but  having  no  biographical  details  other  than  Griswold's  to 
go  by,  and  being  as  instinctively  attracted  to  Poe  as  Baudelaire, 
Hannay  also  started  a  theory  as  ingenious  and  as  unsatisfactory  as 
his  to  account  for  the  poet's  presumed  misdeeds. 

Baudelaire's  belief  that  alcohol  and  opium  were  the 


POE:  A  BIBLIOGRAPHIC  STUDY      397 

basis  of  Poe's  power  of  imagination  and  that  from  these  he 
obtained  his  inspiration  was  rejected.  Nor  did  he  agree 
that  temporary  mental  states,  suggested  by  Hannay  and 
known  to  have  afflicted  so  many  men  of  genius  with  re 
curring  states  of  mental  depression,  was  a  satisfactory 
explanation.  He  regarded  Poe  as  a  maligned  and  misjudged 
author,  and  failed  to  recognize  the  nervous  diathesis  as 
the  basis  for  certain  of  his  vagaries. 

From  a  study  of  these  fragmentary  and  biased  biog 
raphies  it  became  evident  that  a  new  method  of  approach 
must  be  found  in  order  to  gain  an  intelligent  understand 
ing  of  Poe's  life  and  character.  The  thing  most  necessary 
was  a  sifting  of  true  statements  from  false  as  they  related 
to  Poe's  neurosis,  and  a  re-presentation  of  Poe  facts  as  dis 
tinguished  from  the  Poe  myth.  As  frequently  happens, 
when  the  necessity  arises  a  man  can  be  found  capable  of 
accomplishing  the  required  task. 

This  work  was  assigned  by  Chalres  Dudley  Warner, 
editor  of  the  "American  Men  of  Letters"  series,  to  George 
E.  Woodberry,  at  that  time  a  young  and  unknown  writer. 
Accordingly  there  was  published : 

AMERICAN  MEN  OF  LETTERS  :  Edgar  Allan  Poe.  By  George 
E.  Woodberry.  Boston,  Houghton,  Mifflin  and  Com 
pany.  The  Riverside  Press.  Cambridge.  1885. 

In  this  publication  Woodberry  made  a  dispassionate  and 
careful  study  of  all  the  known  facts  of  Poe's  life,  and  an 
intelligent  effort  to  elucidate  the  many  obscure  points  that 
had  been  controversial,  or  that  were  unknown.  Much  new 
information  was  furnished,  and  Woodberry  believed  that 
he  discovered  passages  in  Poe's  life  which  further  research 
may,  or  may  not,  uphold. 

In  the  preface  Woodberry  discussed  the  difficulties 
under  which  he  labored  by  reason  of  the  many  conflicting 


398      POE:  A  BIBLIOGRAPHIC  STUDY 

statements  and  the  diverse  opinions  still  held,  and  he  gave 
the  data  on  which  he  relied  for  his  expressed  estimate. 

The  statements  of  fact  in  these  sources  are  extremely  conflicting, 
doubtful,  and  contested;  and  in  view  of  this,  as  well  as  of  the  spirit  of 
rancor  excited  in  any  discussion  of  Poe's  character,  the  author  has 
made  this,  so  far  as  was  possible,  a  documentary  biography,  has 
verified  all  facts  positively  stated  at  first  hand,  and  has  felt  obliged  to 
assign  the  authority  followed,  in  any  questionable  assertions,  in  foot 
notes.  .  .  .  Notwithstanding  the  amount  of  printed  matter  regarding 
Poe,  his  life  has  not  been  exhaustively  treated.  The  larger  portion  of 
the  following  pages  consists  of  wholly  new  information,  or  of  old  state 
ments  so  radically  corrected  as  to  become  new. 

Woodberry  referred  to  this  as  a  "Documentary  Life," 
as  it  was  founded  on  contemporary  evidence  usually  of  a 
documentary  nature.  He  does  not  overstate  its  value  as  a 
study.  Nothing  better  has  been  offered  and  while,  in  my 
judgment,  it  is  deficient  because  of  a  failure  to  understand 
and  exhibit  the  underlying  neurosis  on  which  many  of 
Poe's  erratic  acts  were  based,  at  least  these  were  not  mag 
nified.  Possibly  it  was  not  to  be  expected  that  Woodberry 
either  could  fully  comprehend,  or  could  scientifically  dem 
onstrate  the  underlying  compulsions  which  were  the  basis 
of  these  actions. 

Woodberry  later  revised  and  amplified  this  documen 
tary  statement,  converting  it  into  a  biography  in  which  he 
furnished  a  compendious  study  of  Poe's  writings,  and  in 
which  he  delineated  his  own  conception  of  Poe's  person 
ality. 

THE  LIFE  OF  EDGAR  ALLAN  POE,  Personal  and  Literary: 
With  his  chief  Correspondence  with  Men  of  Letters.  By 
George  E.  Woodberry.  (Two  Volumes.)  Boston  and 
New  York :  Houghton,  Mifflin  and  Company.  The  River 
side  Press.  Cambridge,  1909. 

This  was  an  unfortunate  attempt  of  Woodberry  to  ex 
tend  his  documentary  study  of  Poe  into  a  biography  that 
should  exhibit  a  sympathetic  understanding  of  the  morbid 


POE:  A  BIBLIOGRAPHIC  STUDY      399 

and  diseased  personality,  inherent  in  Poe,  which  so  fre 
quently  influenced  and  which  occasionally  dominated  his 
life. 

Because  of  his  former  study  of  Poe,  possibly  also  by 
reason  of  his  college  association  with  the  younger  Gris- 
wold,  Woodberry  was  given  access  to  all  Poe  material  that 
was  still  in  possession  of  the  Griswold  family,  and  he  was 
employed  by  them  to  edit  certain  Poe  correspondence.  In 
this  way  he  had  personal  knowledge  of  all  the  manuscripts 
remaining  in  Griswold's  possession,  and  he  is  our  authority 
as  to  their  contents.  His  references  to  these  papers  are  only 
incidental  and  not  such  as  fully  to  elucidate  them.  Occa 
sionally  only  enlightening  statements  are  found  such  as, 
when  referring  to  the  Poe  letters  Griswold  prefixed  to  his 
"Memoir,"  he  states  in  his  Notes :  "Both  varied  materially 
from  the  printed  text."  While  he  could  not  have  specified 
those  things  destroyed  by  Griswold — provided  there  was 
such  destruction — so  accurate  a  transcriber  should  have 
given  us  the  details,  rather  than  the  general  statement : — 
"However  garbled  the  letters."  Apparently  nothing  that 
was  found  unfavorably  influenced  Woodberry's  high  esti 
mate  of  Griswold.  Nowhere  does  he  criticize  Griswold's 
action  in  publishing,  as  a  preface  to  Poe's  works,  the 
derogatory  "Memoir,"  even  though  his  own  researches 
contradicted  so  many  of  its  statements ;  nor  does  he  hold 
Griswold  blamable  because  of  his  assumption  and  reten 
tion  of  all  of  Poe's  literary  possessions.  On  the  other  hand 
it  is  to  be  assumed  that  personal  study  of  these  letters,  and 
of  other  Poe  material,  unfavorably  influenced  his  concep 
tion  of  Poe's  character,  and  that,  unconsciously,  there 
developed  an  antipathetic  mental  attitude  that  is  most 
evident  in  his  life  of  Poe.  This  accounts  for  Woodberry's 
statement  with  reference  to  this  investigation:  "Though 
contact  may  have  bred  prejudice,  I  had  none  at  the  outset, 
so  far  as  I  can  remember." 


400      POE:  A  BIBLIOGRAPHIC  STUDY 

The  documentary  biography,  as  a  source  of  Poe  reference, 
has  been  overshadowed  by  this  more  recent  and  greatly 
amplified  "Literary  Biography,"  with  which  Woodberry's 
name  is  now  so  definitely  associated.  This  is  regrettable 
because,  while  the  first  study  made  no  pretense  of  being 
other  than  a  compilation,  and  a  special  research  into  the 
facts  of  Poe's  life,  and  attempted  no  personal  estimate,  the 
latter  work  specialized  not  only  on  all  Poe  wrote,  but  at 
tempted  a  character  study  which  would  elucidate  the 
personal  equation — a  thing  for  which  Woodberry  was  in 
no  way  temperamentally  fitted.  He  wrote  in  his  introduc 
tion:  "In  the  former  biography  I  excluded  much,  and  sup 
pressed  much,  of  what  I  thought  the  world  would  willingly 
let  die;  but  this  proved  a  fruitless  attempt  to  assist  ob 
livion,  and  I  have  in  the  present  work,  at  least  noticed  all 
that  has  been  said  or  alleged  on  the  subject."  While  this 
biography  does  possess  much  of  both  literary  and  bio 
graphical  interest,  it  is  deficient  in  certain  qualities  which 
I  believe  to  be  necessary  for  the  successful  delineation  of 
Poe's  puzzling  and  ill-understood  personality. 

Woodberry  further  explained  his  reason  for  writing  this 
second  biography:  "I  have  aimed  to  make  this  a  literary 
biography ;  as  such  it  has  two  special  interests,  in  that  it  is 
a  life  led  outside  New  England,  and  that  it  embodies  much 
contemporaneous  literary  history  not  involved  in  any 
life  of  our  great  writers.  I  have  aimed  also  to  present  in  the 
text  the  facts  of  Poe's  career  as  they  lay  in  my  own  mind ; 
in  the  Notes  I  have  allowed  others  to  speak  freely,  for 
praise  or  dispraise,  in  order  that  all  may  have  a  fair  field 
where  there  is  so  great  a  controversy."  Nothing  that  Poe 
wrote  and  nothing  in  Poe's  career  had  attracted  Wood- 
berry.  "My  attention  had  never  been  drawn  to  Poe,  nor 
my  interest  specially  excited  by  his  works,"  is  his  explan 
atory  statement  of  the  personal  attitude  he  bore  to  Poe. 
Nor,  after  his  documentary  biography,  did  his  interest 


POE:  A  BIBLIOGRAPHIC  STUDY      401 

grow;  neither  did  he  continue  his  investigations,  except 
incidentally.  "Through  these  years  information  naturally 
came  to  me,  also,  from  other  sources,  [this  is  a  probable 
reference  to  his  editorship  of  the  Poe  MSS.]  though  I  have 
never  engaged  in  personal  investigation  since  writing  the 
former  biography." 

While,  beyond  question,  this  literary  biography  possessed 
many  admirable  features,  it  failed  because  in  his4 'Creation" 
there  was  a  malformation  of  the  most  important  of  the 
vital  organs.  Like  Frankenstein  who  attempted  to  create 
a  man  perfect  in  symmetry,  marvelously  articulated  with 
every  muscle,  nerve  and  organ  properly  placed,  and 
with  a  mind  so  keen  in  its  perceptions,  and  endowed 
with  such  intelligence  that  it  was  able  to  circumvent,  and, 
in  time,  to  overwhelm  its  creator,  so  does  Woodberry  re 
construct  a  Poe  who  possesses  a  brain  that  functioned 
normally  with  a  mental  capacity  unequalled  by  any  of 
his  contemporaries ;  yet  somewhere  there  was  a  fatal  flaw, 
for  none  of  the  generous  impulses  and  humanitarian  qual 
ities  animated  it.  Like  the  pallid,  blotched,  ill-fitting  skin 
of  Frankenstein's  "Daemon,"  and  the  livid-lipped  mouth 
with  its  shining  teeth,  which  rendered  it  so  abhorrent  a 
monster,  so  does  this  Poe  construction  fail  in  recalling  to 
us  a  human  possessing  amiable  traits  and  loving  consider 
ation  for  those  around  him.  It  may  be  asked,  as  it  was  in 
the  discussion  of  Griswold's  "Memoir,"  could  Woodberry 
find  "no  cheeriness  in  the  boy — no  casual  acts  of  kindness 
— no  adhesion  to  old  friendships — no  sympathy  with  the 
poor  and  unhappy?"  The  picture  drawn  of  Poe  haunting 
the  spot  where  his  mother-love  lay  buried  is  laughed  to 
scorn;  his  devotion  to  his  wife,  to  his  mother,  and  his  in 
defatigable  efforts  to  provide  a  home  for  them,  while  men 
tioned  in  the  Notes  are  principally  discussed  with  reference 
to  his  derelictions;  his  friendship  for  his  associates,  as  well 
as  their  loyal  defense  of  him  after  his  death,  are  referred 


402      POE:  A  BIBLIOGRAPHIC  STUDY 

to — but  not  fully  quoted — in  Woodberry's  Notes.  The  de 
lineation  is  that  of  a  cold,  misanthropic,  dissipated,  and 
immoral  individual  influenced  by  no  human  passion, 
warmed  by  none  of  the  genial  qualities  necessary  for 
friendly  intercourse,  swayed  by  none  of  the  finer  impulses 
that  differentiate  us  from  the  lower  creations — an  intellec 
tual  monster.  In  his  reconstruction,  the  organ  Woodberry 
omitted  was  a  "heart."  With  such  an  omission  no  life-like 
delineation  can  be  successfully  made.  Poe,  the  Man,  is 
ignored.  It  is  only  Poe,  the  Writer,  who  is  described.  Al 
though  admiration  is  expressed  for  Poe's  literary  capacity, 
and  the  things  he  wrote  received  due  praise,  Woodberry 
exhibits  no  love  for  his  subject,  nor  any  understanding  of 
the  world  in  which  Poe  lived.  As  was  suggested,  had  Poe 
not  "led  a  life  outside  New  England,"  Woodberry  would 
have  been  far  better  fitted  for  the  task.  His  sympathetic 
treatment  of  Hawthorne  required  no  effort  of  the  imagina 
tion,  nor  did  it  call  for  personal  tributes  because,  in 
herently,  these  qualities  were  a  part  of  the  subject.  But  the 
task  Woodberry  successfully  accomplished  in  tranfiguring 
the  frigid  personality  and  "transcendental  emotionality" 
of  Emerson  into  the  semblance  of  a  jovial  human  being, 
makes  it  certain  that,  had  Poe  remained  in  Boston,  and 
had  he  become  acclimated  to  the  ozone  of  its  literary  atmo 
sphere,  his  name,  so  far  as  his  reputation  is  concerned, 
would  have  received  more  sympathetic  consideration  at 
the  hands  of  Woodberry.  As  this  biography  stands,  no 
glossing  love,  nor  personal  admiration,  translates  this  con 
struction  into  a  vital  representation.  No  responsive  chord 
was  touched  by  reason  of  the  physical  agony  that  Poe  suf 
fered,  or  because  of  the  mental  torture  that,  by  heredity, 
was  a  part  of  him.  Had  Woodberry  reversed  his  creation, 
had  he  drawn  his  conclusions  from  the  Notes  rather  than 
from  the  text,  it  would  have  been  a  more  lovable  delinea 
tion.  Certainly  his  work  is  valuable  for  the  facts  it  con- 


POE:  A  BIBLIOGRAPHIC  STUDY      403 

tains.  When  the  standard  biography  of  Poe  is  written,  at 
least  Woodberry's  researches  will  constitute  valuable 
building  material,  and  he  will  realize  his  ambition :  "What 
ever  shall  be  the  fortune  of  this  work,  I  am  amply  re 
warded  by  the  conviction  that  I  have,  at  least,  made  the 
way  easier  for  that  ideal  biographer  who,  when  he  comes, 
shall  be  perfect  in  good-sense,  good-will,  and  discretion." 

Another  feature  of  this  book  that  deserves  criticism  are 
the  illustrations  intended  for  the  elucidation  of  the  text.  In 
conception  and  in  execution  they  typify  the  grotesque  and 
repulsive  features  which  certain  artists  adopt  when  they 
attempt  to  portray  Poe  characters.  They  are  strongly 
reminiscent  of  the  "quagmire  phosphorescence"  through 
which  certain  commentators  have  visioned  some  of  Poe's 
finest  work,  and  which  they  have  denominated  "Germanic 
Horrors/  'Poe's  own  explanation  of  these  horrors  has  never 
received  the  consideration  which  is  its  due:  "If  in  many 
of  my  productions  terror  has  been  the  thesis,  I  maintain 
that  terror  is  not  of  Germany,  but  of  the  soul — that  I 
have  deduced  this  terror  only  from  its  legitimate  sources, 
and  urged  it  only  to  its  legitimate  results" 

Such  grotesque  conceptions  as  Berenice,  Ligeia,  the 
skeletonized  Eleonora,  and  Ulalume  give  no  pleasure  to 
the  reader  and  they  do  not  fairly  illustrate  the  text.  Nor 
does  it  seem  right  to  resurrect  the  horror  of  a  dead  romance 
by  reproducing  the  face  of  Poe's  fiancee,  except  as  an 
added  demonstration  of  his  irresponsible  mental  state. 

The  last  biography  that  will  be  discussed,  and  that  one 
which  should  be  consulted  by  those  desiring  a  personal 
view  of  the  Man,  is  that  of  Harrison.  Because  of  his  sym 
pathetic  treatment  it  is  not,  in  all  ways,  reliable. 

LIFE  AND  LETTERS  OF  EDGAR  ALLAN  POE:  By  James  A. 
Harrison,  of  the  University  of  Virginia.  (Two  Volumes.) 
New  York,  Thomas  Y.  Crowell  &  Co.  Publishers. 


404      POE:  A  BIBLIOGRAPHIC  STUDY 

In  the  first  volume  Harrison  gave  all  of  the  known  facts 
of  Poe's  life  so  far  as  definite  knowledge  allowed.  He  did 
not  enter  into  controversial  subjects  further  than  to  intelli 
gibly  relate  all  that  it  is  necessary  for  us  to  know,  or 
that  is  really  known.  He  does  not  discuss  those  doubtful  life 
incidents  suggested  by  Woodberry  that  have  not  yet  been 
definitely  settled.  He  wisely  eliminated  Poe's  letters;  these 
he  reserved  for  the  second  volume.  This  omission  was 
not  in  all  ways  wise,  for  it  occasionally  happens  that  full 
reproduction  of  the  text  of  these  letters  would  have  forced 
upon  him  a  reconstruction  of  certain  phases  of  Poe's  life. 
Like  Ingram  he  failed  to  take  into  consideration  the  mor 
bid  and  depressive  states  freely  referred  to  by  Poe  himself. 

The  tender  personal  consideration,  and  the  evident 
sympathy  so  apparent  in  Harrison's  delineation  of  Poe, 
should  make  this  a  standard  Life  for  those  who  appreciate 
Poe's  work.  It  appeals  to  those  who  desire  to  look  beneath 
his  intellectual  mask  and  to  find  the  human  and  lovable 
qualities  of  the  man. 

A  feature  of  this  biography  which  makes  it  of  value  to 
the  collector  is  the  bibliography.  Because  of  the  many 
changes  both  in  titles  and  substance,  references  to  the 
early  contributions  of  Poe  are  often  puzzling.  It  is  true 
that  in  the  later  volumes  of  "Graham's"  and  in  the 
"Broadway  Journal",  as  well  as  in  the  collections  pub 
lished  in  1845,  Poe's  poems  and  stories  were  given  their 
final  revision.  While  these  should  be  regarded  as  definitive, 
their  gradual  evolution,  as  exhibited  in  Harrison's  "Vir 
ginia  Poe",  is  of  interest  to  all  students  of  Poe's  method 
of  literary  composition. 

For  this  assemblage  of  bibliographical  items,  Harrison 
went  to  the  original  sources.  His  conclusions  as  to  their  ear 
lier  publications,  as  a  whole,  seem  to  be  accurate.  Although 
by  reason  of  careless  compilation  there  are  a  few  errors  and, 
at  times,  his  assignment  of  particular  criticisms  and  even 


POE:  A  BIBLIOGRAPHIC  STUDY      405 

of  more  pretentious  contributions,  must  be  questioned. 
While,  in  the  original  two-volume  life,  only  dates  of  publi 
cation  are  given,  he  later  used  these  as  a  supplement  to  his 
"  Virginia  Poe,"  a  very  complete  republication  of  all  that  Poe 
wrote.  In  these  volumes  he  made  an  elaborate  study  of  the 
many  emendations  through  which  Poe's  works  were 
evolved  into  the  standard  and  now  accepted  form.  These 
are  the  result  of  Poe's  matured  literary  judgment,  except  in 
those  criticisms  edited  by  Griswold  that  related  to  himself 
or  to  his  personal  friends,  such  as  Briggs  and  English;  or 
where  his  heart  was  touched,  as  was  the  case  with  Mrs. 
Osgood  and  with  Mrs.  Hewitt.  Possibly  in  the  latter  case, 
as  in  some  others,  it  was  a  matter  of  pocket  rather  than  of 
heart.  By  all  reports,  the  quid  pro  quo  was  not  lacking  in 
Griswold's  estimates.  Harrison's  index,  although  elaborate 
and  made  with  evident  care,  is  most  irritating  in  that  it  fails 
to  function.  There  are  no  cross  references,  and  Poe's  writings 
in  their  many  reproductions  have  been  republished  under 
so  many  titles,  that,  in  the  use  of  this  index,  very  accurate 
knowledge  is  required ;  so  accurate  that,  if  possessed,  one 
hardly  requires  an  index.  This  is  the  more  unfortunate  be 
cause  Harrison's  work  is  by  no  means  systematized,  and 
the  same  subject  is  discussed  under  many  phases.  In  this 
particular,  both  the  text  and  the  index  compare  unfavor 
ably  with  the  carefully  considered  and  intelligently  framed 
work  of  Woodberry.  On  the  other  hand,  Woodberry's 
bibliography  is  worthless.  He  has  made  no  investigation 
into  the  original  sources  of  Poe's  writings,  and  has  been 
content  to  rest  on  Griswold's  four- volume  edition,  together 
with  a  faulty  adoption  of  Harrison's  bibliography. 

In  the  early  70's  there  was  a  Poe  revival,  partly  caused 
by  the  many  American  and  English  biographies,  but 
mainly  due  to  Poe's  increasing  literary  renown.  There 
were  many  still  living — a  few,  unfortunately,  the  posses- 


406      POE:  A  BIBLIOGRAPHIC  STUDY 

sors  of  senile  memories — who  insisted  on  recalling  Poe  as 
they  remembered  him.  They  had  entertained  an  "angel 
unawares"  and  they  believed  this  to  be  a  good  reason  for 
recalling,  thirty  years  later,  all  the  facts,  and  occasionally 
reenforcing  these  with  imaginary  reconstructions. 

The  most  flagrant  offender  was  the  physician  who  cared 
for  Poe  at  the  time  of  his  death,  although  he  had  many  prolix 
confreres ;  the  remarkable  thing  was  that  none  of  these  re 
membered  any  thing  to  Poe's  discredit — with  one  noticeable 
exception.  Time  had  erased  all  that  was  based  on  personal 
bitterness  due  to  critical  severity  or  to  literary  jealousy. 

Among  others,  Richard  Henry  Stoddard  published  his 
"Personal  Recollections."  This  was  later  inserted  as  the 
preface  of  a  collected  edition  of  Poe's  works.  It  is,  in  the 
main,  unexceptional  in  tone,  and  it  avoids  all  reiteration 
of  the  charges  made  by  Griswold,  adopting  the  attitude  of 
benevolently  ignoring  all  disagreeable  comments.  However 
it  was  impossible  for  Stoddard  to  forget  a  certain  early 
experience — his  one  association  with  Poe  that  he  re 
called  in  its  Jekyll  and  Hyde  aspect.  Evidently  Stoddard 
took  pride  in  the  connection  he  once  established  with  Poe, 
even  if  it  was  that  relation  which  the  door-mat  bears  to 
the  foot  with  which  it  comes  in  contact.  Such  repulsive  de 
tails  have  no  more  right  to  be  inserted  into  Poe's  works 
than  had  the  Griswold  Memoir.  Stoddard  dwells  on  the 
resemblance  Poe's  poems  bear  to  Byron  and  asserts  that 
Byron  strongly  influenced  Poe's  early  poetry.  This  asser 
tion,  which  I  believe  is  not  justified  by  facts,  deserves  a 
fuller  investigation  than  has  been  given.  It  is  a  matter 
assumed  rather  than  proved  by  any  full  discussion. 

While,  in  my  opinion,  Byron  will  rank  higher  as  a  uni 
versal  poet  than  will  Poe,  and  while  he  exhibits  a  mastery 
of  melodious  phrases  equal  to  the  best  of  Poe's  poems 
with  a  far  wider  latitude  of  thought,  and  a  greater  grasp  of 
rhythm  and  themes,  no  similarity  of  construction  or  method 


POE:  A  BIBLIOGRAPHIC  STUDY      407 

of  composition  has  been  alleged.  Many  poets  excell  Poe  in 
the  felicity  of  rhyme.  Scott  with  his  hippity-hop,  and  Pope 
with  his  sonorous  verbiage,  in  some  respects  can  be  regarded, 
if  not  the  superiors,  at  least  as  equal  masters  in  their  parti 
cular  styles.  Byron's  poem^exhibit  a  spontaneity  and  a  vari 
ety  of  subject  matter  that  Poe  never  possessed,  nor  could 
Poe  approach  him  in  verbal  imagery,  except  in  his  own  nar 
row  domain.  The  frequent  references  certain  writers  make 
to  "the  cloak  of  Byron"  Poe  is  assumed  to  have  worn  are 
without  justification.  If  there  be  any  evidence  of  this  deri 
vation  of  Poe's  early  or  later  poems,  no  proofs  have  been 
furnished.  If  there  ever  was  an  "inspired"  poet  it  was  Poe. 
These  published  reminiscences  were  indicative  of  the  pride 
America  was  beginning  to  take  in  the  name  of  Poe,  and  of 
her  desire  publicly  to  honor  Poe's  memory.  The  culmination 
of  this  movement  was  the  public  monument  erected  over 
the  remains  of  Poe  at  Baltimore  in  1875.  Later  other  evi 
dences  of  the  appreciation  in  which  Poe  was  held  were 
made  manifest.  Probably  the  greatest  honor  conferred  was 
the  Actor's  Monument  sculptured  by  Richard  H.  Park, 
for  this  was  the  first  honor  of  a  national,  and  not  sectional, 
character. 

Boston,  with  its  New  England  clientele,  never  bowed 
the  knee.  To  them  it  seemed  incomprehensible  that  one 
could  have  arisen  who  did  not  belong  to  their  local  cult, 
strangely  ignoring  the  fact  that  in  spite  of  their  ostra 
cism  Poe  really  was  Boston  born.  Woodberry  had  reason 
to  congratulate  himself  on  his  liberality  of  spirit  in  recog 
nizing  a  "literary  life  led  outside  New  England." 

While  many  other  writers  have  attempted  to  delineate 
Poe,  and  while  they  have  recognized  that,  even  had  Poe 
exhibited  faults,  they  were  not  uncommon  in  the  lives  of 
other  great  writers,  and  especially  that,  in  the  case  of  Poe, 
he  had  fully  expiated  them,  none  have  taken  a  more  just 
or  a  more  kindly  view  than  was  that  of  Edmund  Clarence 


408      POE:  A  BIBLIOGRAPHIC  STUDY 

Stedman.  This  literary  estimate  was  first  published  as  an 
essay  on  "Poets  of  America,"  in  "Scribner's  Magazine," 
and  was  later  reprinted. 

EDGAR  ALLAN  POE:  By  Edmund  Clarence  Stedman.  Pri 
vately  printed.  Cedar  Rapids,  Iowa.  1909. 

This  copy  is  one  of  a  limited  edition  printed  by  the  Torch 
Press.  The  beauty  of  its  typography,  the  excellence  of  the 
paper,  and  the  immaculate  press  work,  almost  justify  the 
modern  custom  of  limiting  and  numbering  such  issues. 

The  picture  of  Poe,  which  serves  as  an  introduction,  is 
indicative  of  a  face  matured  by  thought  and  sobered  by 
the  struggles  and  the  unhappy  contact  with  that  abnormal 
phase  of  life  which  was  the  ill-fortune  of  Poe.  As  such  I 
have  selected  it  as  an  ideal  representation  of  the  man, 
neither  grotesquely  caricatured  nor  unduly  idealized. 

Stedman's  biography  is  a  just  presentation  of  Poe. 
While  no  attempt  is  made  to  unduly  glorify  him,  or  in  any 
way  to  apotheosize  him,  and  while  his  abnormal  character 
istics  are  not  altogether  ignored — or  for  that  matter  fully 
comprehended — it  is  a  human  document  that  should  pass  to 
posterity  as  a  fair  estimate  of  Poe,  and  such  as  should  have 
originally  been  prefixed  to  his  works.  Necessarily  this  esti 
mate  is  literary  rather  than  personal,  and  the  following 
extract  is  representative  of  Stedman's  literary  acumen,  as 
well  as  of  his  critical  method. 

I  shall  add  but  little  here  to  all  that  has  been  written  about 
Ulalume.  It  is  so  strange,  so  unlike  anything  that  preceded  it,  so 
vague  and  yet  so  full  of  meaning,  that  of  itself  it  might  establish  a  new 
method.  To  me  it' seems  an  improvisation,  such  as  a  violinist  might 
play  upon  the  instrument  which  had  become  his  one  thing  of  worth 
after  the  death  of  a  companion  had  left  him  alone  with  his  own  soul. 

Even  Stedman's  synopsis  and  criticism  of  "Eureka", 
that  work  which  has  proved  such  a  stumbling-block  to 
Poe  critics,  shows  excellent  comprehension  in  that  it  does 


POE:  A  BIBLIOGRAPHIC  STUDY      409 

not  conceive  this  as  a  scientific  statement  but  treats  it  as 
a  literary  curiosity,  although  he  gives  credence  to  Poe's 
realization  of  a  failure  in  performance — a  conclusion  with 
which  Poe  certainly  would  not  have  acquiesced. 

In  writing  Eureka  he  was  unquestionably  sincere,  and  forgot  him 
self  more  nearly  than  in  any  other  act  of  his  professional  life.  But  here 
his  inexact  learning  betrayed  him.  What  was  begun  as  a  conviction 
grew  to  be  so  far  beyond  the  data  at  his  command,  or  so  inconsistent 
with  them,  that  he  finally  saw  that  he  had  written  little  else  than  a 
prose  poem,  and  desired  that  it  should  be  so  regarded. 

Among  others  who  contributed  these  Poe  recollections 
was  John  Sartain,  the  artist.  In  his  "Reminiscences  of  a 
Very  Old  Man,"  published  in  1900,  Sartain  recalled  the  facts 
of  his  Poe  association.  Apparently  he  was  one  of  the  few 
friends  who  actively  assisted  Poe  during  his  last  sickness 
and  he  was  familiar  with  the  morbid  nervous  state  that 
preceded  Poe's  death. 

It  was  to  him  that  Poe  came  during  one  of  these  seiz 
ures,  when  he  believed  that  he  was  being  pursued,  and 
that  enemies  had  formed  a  plot  against  his  life. 

'Mr.  Sartain,  I  have  come  to  you  for  refuge  and  protection;  will 
you  let  me  stay  with  you?  It  is  necessary  for  my  safety  that  I  lie  con 
cealed  for  a  time.'  He  said  it  would  be  difficult  for  me  to  believe  what 
he  had  to  tell,  or  that  such  things  were  possible  in  this  nineteenth 
century.  .  .  .  He  told  me  that  he  had  been  on  his  way  to  New  York, 
but  he  had  heard  some  men  who  sat  a  few  seats  back  of  him  plotting 
how  they  should  kill  him  and  then  throw  him  off  from  the  platform  of 
the  car.  He  said  they  spoke  so  low  that  it  would  have  been  impossible 
for  him  to  hear  and  understand  the  meaning  of  their  words,  had  it  not 
been  that  his  sense  of  hearing  was  so  wonderfully  acute.  .  .  .  From 
his  fear  of  assassination  his  mind  gradually  veered  around  to  an  idea 
of  self-destruction,  and  his  words  clearly  indicated  this  tendency.  .  .  . 
After  a  long  silence  he  said  suddenly,  'If  this  mustache  of  mine  was 
removed  I  should  not  be  so  easily  recognized;  will  you  lend  me  a 
razor,  that  I  may  shave  it  off?' 

He  also  related  to  Sartain  his  Moyamensing  hallucina 
tions  and,  in  addition  to  those  already  detailed,  he  suffered 
from  other  delusions  characteristic  of  the  alcoholic  delirium 
which  unquestionably  was  the  basis  of  his  mental  state. 


410      POE:  A  BIBLIOGRAPHIC  STUDY 

'An  attendant  asked  me  if  I  would  like  to  take  a  stroll  about  the 
place.  I  might  see  something  interesting  and  I  agreed.  In  the  course  of 
our  rounds  on  the  ramparts  we  saw  a  cauldron  of  burning  spirits.  He 
asked  me  if  I  would  not  like  to  take  a  drink.  I  declined,  but,  had  I 
said  yes,  I  should  have  been  lifted  over  the  brim  and  dipped  into  the 
hot  liquid,  up  to  the  lips  like  Tantalus.  ...  So  at  last  as  a  means  to 
torture  me  and  to  wring  my  heart,  they  brought  out  my  mother, 
Mrs.  Clemm,  to  blast  my  sight  by  seeing  them  first  saw  off  her  feet 
to  the  ankles,  then  her  legs  to  the  knees,  her  thighs  at  the  hips.' 

On  the  second  morning  he  appeared  to  have  become  so  much  like 
his  old  self  that  I  trusted  him  to  go  out  alone.  After  an  hour  or  two  he 
returned,  and  then  told  me  that  he  had  come  to  the  conclusion  thet 
what  I  said  was  true,  and  that  the  whole  thing  was  a  delusion.  He  said 
his  mind  began  to  clear  as  he  laid  on  the  grass.  While  he  lay  thus  the 
words  he  had  heard  kept  running  in  his  thoughts,  but  he  tried  in  vain 
to  connect  them  with  the  speaker,  and  so  the  light  gradually  broke  in 
on  his  dazed  mind  and  he  saw  that  he  had  come  out  of  a  dream. 

Woodberry,  without  justification,  has  aspersed  Sartain's 
memory  of  these  events.  While  Sartain's  statements  are 
recalled  with  undue  precision,  the  nature  of  Poe's  delusions 
and  hallucinations  were  such  as  give  evidence  of  their 
truth.  The  suddenness  of  so  serious  an  attack  following  the 
brief  period  of  intoxication  makes  it  most  probable  that 
the  congested  state  of  Poe's  brain  was  primarily  respon 
sible,  although  the  character  of  his  mental  symptoms  are 
pathognomonic  of  delirium  tremens.  Insanity  is  not  so 
precipitate  either  in  its  onset  or  in  its  recovery.  Sartain 
also  bears  testimony  to  the  small  amount  of  intoxicant 
required  to  produce  a  mental  disturbance. 

Sartain,  as  an  artist,  could  speak  with  authority  as  to 
Poe's  facial  characteristics,  and  his  pronouncement  bears 
out  the  judgment  of  those  other  associates  and  friends  of 
Poe,  previously  quoted. 

Poe's  face  was  handsome.  Although  his  forehead  when  seen  in 
profile  showed  a  receding  line  from  the  brow  up,  viewed  from  the  front 
it  presented  a  broad  and  noble  expanse,  very  large  at  and  above  the 
temples.  His  lips  were  thin  and  very  delicately  modelled. 

While  the  interview  described  in  the  following  quota 
tion  is  not  definitely  fixed  as  to  time,  it  probably  occurred 
during  Poe's  life-time,  and  is  evidence  that,  even  as  be- 


POE:  A  BIBLIOGRAPHIC  STUDY      411 

tween  Griswold  and  English,  relations  were  not  always 
harmonious. 

Speaking  of  Poe  recalls  to  me  an  amusing  scene  I  witnessed  in  my 
office  between  two  of  the  literary  fraternity,  Rufus  W.  Griswold  and 
the  well-known  author  of  Ben  Bolt  [Thomas  Dunn  English.]  The  latter 
was  chatting  delightfully  with  me  when  in  walked  Griswold.  I  knew  of 
course  that  they  must  be  acquainted,  and  yet  noticing  that  they  acted 
like  strangers  I  apologized  for  neglecting  to  introduce  them  and  for 
assuming  that  they  knew  each  other.  'Oh  yes,'  said  one  grimly, 
'we  know  one  another.'  So  I  saw  there  was  bad  blood  between  them. 
A  cheerless  talk  ensued  for  a  time,  when  a  name  was  spoken  by  chance 
that  had  a  magical  effect.  It  was  Poe,  and  they  fraternized  at  once, 
giving  it  to  him  right  and  left,  agreeing  that  he  was  a  most  unjust 
critic  and  a  bad  fellow  in  every  way.  The  fact  is  Poe  made  himself 
enemies  all  around  by  the  cutting  severity  of  his  criticisms. 

Since  Woodberry's  exhaustive  study,  little  can  be  added 
to  the  known  facts  of  Poe's  life.  The  controversial  matters 
necessarily  give  wide  range  for  speculation,  but  it  is  not 
probable  that  much  of  material  importance  will  be  dis 
covered.  I  regret  that  I  have  not  been  able  to  consult  the 
data  that  have  been  gathered  by  Mary  E.  Phillips,  whose 
Life  of  Poe  now  is  being  published.  Her  study  of  letters 
and  records,  hitherto  unavailable  for  publication  in  their 
entirety,  may  clear  some  of  the  illy  understood  facts  of 
Poe's  inheritance  and  of  his  early  life,  although  other 
biographers  have  had  access  to  these  documents. 

Ancestral  details  have  been  lacking;  all  biographers 
having  been  satisfied  to  mention  the  eminent  General  Poe, 
and  respectfully  refer  to  the  legend  of  Admiral  MacBride. 
Nothing  definite  is  known  of  the  ancestry  of  Mrs.  Poe. 
Apparently  she  contributed  her  full  share  to  the  personal 
characteristics  and  mental  qualities  of  her  son.  As  far  as 
the  father  is  concerned,  the  little  we  know  about  him 
does  not  justify  our  tracing  any  of  the  son's  genius,  or  those 
good  qualities  we  know  Edgar  Poe  possessed,  to  the  pa 
ternal  parent.  Yet,  for  some  reason  the  paternal  branch 
of  the  family  has  been  widely  and  fantastically  exploited. 

Misled  by  an  excellently  worded  title-page — Poe,  him- 


412      POE:  A  BIBLIOGRAPHIC  STUDY 

self,  could  not  have  excelled  it — I  was  induced  to  order  a 
book  that  gave  every  promise  of  containing  valuable  in 
formation.  It  was  entitled: 

THE  ORIGIN  AND  EARLY  HISTORY  OF  THE  FAMILY  OF  POE 
OR  POE,  With  full  Pedigrees  of  the  Irish  Branch  of  the 
Family,  and  a  Discussion  of  the  true  Ancestry  of  Edgar 
Allan  Poe,  The  American  Poet.  By  Sir  Edmond  Thomas 
Bewley  M.A.  LL.D.  F.R.S.A.I.  Author  of  "The  Bewleys 
of  Cumberland,"  "The  Family  of  Mulock,"  and  Other 
Works.  Dublin.  Printed  for  the  Author  by  Ponsonby 
and  Gibbs,  at  the  University  Press.  1906. 

Ponsonby  and  Gibbs  deserve  credit  for  the  paper  se 
lected,  and  for  the  great  beauty  of  their  press  work.  As 
befitting  the  offspring  of  an  author  who  not  only  inherited, 
but  acquired,  so  many  and  such  desirable  titles,  this 
volume  is  impressive  in  appearance.  It  is  quarto  in  size, 
it  is  numbered,  and  it  bears  Bewley's  signature,  as  well  as 
every  other  mark  that  a  de  luxe  volume  should  possess. 
It  is  a  valuable  contribution  to  bibliopoesy.  However,  in  so 
far  as  it  throws  light  either  on  John  Poe  (who  came  from 
Ireland,  and  for  whom  no  befitting  title  or  profession  has 
been  found,  but  who  probably  was  a  day  laborer,  as  his 
children  are  known  to  have  been)  or  on  his  progenitors,  it  is 
valueless  and  a  blank.  Yet  the  search  was  diligent,  and  the 
ground  covered  was  wide.  At  least,  by  deduction,  it  allows 
us  to  arrive  at  very  positive  conclusions  concerning  John 
Poe's  place  of  birth.  Evidently  Bewley  took  great  pleasure 
in  delving  deeply  for  the  root  of  derivation.  He  carefully 
nurtured  this  ancestral  tree,  which  gave  promise  of  such 
rich  fruiting,  but  in  the  end  he  failed  to  specify  just  which 
branch  bore  the  escutcheon,  and  from  which  the  ancestors 
of  Edgar  Poe  traced  their  lineage. 

There  are  three  genealogical  tables.  The  first,  covering 
five  pages,  is  an  account  of  the  "First  Two  Generations  of 


POE:  A  BIBLIOGRAPHIC  STUDY      413 

the  Irish  Poes,  and  the  Pedigrees  of  the  Poes  of  Bellen  of 
the  Co.  Tipperary,  and  of  Dromgooldtown,  otherwise 
Poe's  Court,  Co.  Louth."  This  begins  with  one  Anthony 
Poe,  who,  with  Alice  Frost,  preceding  the  years  1605-6, 
begat  a  numerous  family  of  Poes ;  but,  although  traced  to 
a  date  as  late  as  the  year  1821,  they  are  not  brought  into 
any  relationship  with  Edgar  Poe. 

The  second  table,  consisting  of  eight  pages,  is  a  formid 
able  document.  It  is  devoted  to  the  "Pedigrees  of  the  Poes 
of  Knock,  otherwise  Bettsborough,  Donnybrook,  Sols- 
borough,  Moyroe,  Derrinvohill,  Riverston,  Curraghmore, 
Hey  wood,  etc.,  etc."  These  Poes  apparently  did  not  com 
mence  until  about  1650.  Bewley  traces  them  to  1902,  but 
in  no  way  connects  them  with  Edgar  Poe. 

The  last  pedigree  Bewley  traces,  although  covering  only 
five  pages,  is  equally  thorough,  and  apparently  comes  closer 
to  the  subject  in  hand.  In  it,  he  traces  the  line  of  the  t4Poes 
of  Rosenharley,  otherwise  Harley  Park,  and  of  Kil- 
kenney."  While  this  pedigree  does  not  contain  a  reference 
to  the  American  branch  of  the  Poe  family,  it  is  certain, 
judging  from  inherent  characteristics  of  this  family,  that 
it  must  have  come  directly  from  the  Kilkenny  branch,  its 
characteristics  possibly  intensified  by  inbreeding  with  the 
Donnybrook  strain. 

In  none  of  these  tables,  nor  elsewhere  in  the  book,  is 
information  given  as  to  Edgar  Poe's  ancestry.  He  is  men 
tioned  in  the  title  and  in  the  preface,  but  there  is  only  one 
direct  reference  to  him  in  the  body  of  the  book.  This  is 
contained  in  a  passage  which  asserts:  "Edgar  Allan  Poe, 
the  famous  American  poet  and  writer,  was  undoubtedly 
descended  from  John  Poe,  of  Dring,  who  emigrated  to 
Pennsylvania  about  the  year  1749  or  1750,  with  his  wife, 
and  such  of  his  children  as  were  then  born."  So  far  as  I  can 
discover,  this  is  the  only  reference  to  Dring,  and  there  is 
nothing  to^  indicate  which  of  the  three  pedigreed  families 


414      POE:  A  BIBLIOGRAPHIC  STUDY 

named  has  the  right  to  be  regarded  as  Edgar  Poe's  an 
cestral  group.  This  John  Poe,  who  was  an  immigrant, 
apparently  paid  small  heed  to  the  tree  from  which  he 
sprang.  At  best  the  bough  he  brought  with  him  was  only 
a  shillalah;  had  it  been  of  "the  seed  of  Elach,"  it  would 
have  availed  but  little.  It  is  certain  that  this  particular 
branch  had  not  blossomed  for  many  a  year,  and  that  John 
Poe  never  boasted  of  his  lineage.  He  had  never  heard  of 
the  De  La  Poers,  nor  did  he  ever  sign  himself  Poe,  and,  so 
far  as  we  know,  he  made  no  claim  to  noble  ancestry.  He 
was  dependent  upon  his  own  exertions,  and,  if  related  to 
Admiral  MacBride,  he  did  not  presume  on  this  relationship. 

While  this  completes  the  description  of  all  books  that 
are  properly  a  part  of  this  study,  and  that  may  be  con 
sidered  either  as  having  been  written  by  Poe  or  as  of 
special  interest  in  elucidating  Poe  legends,  a  few  other 
publications  must  be  mentioned  because  they  have  been 
so  positively  ascribed  to  Poe  as  to  have  aroused  curiosity, 
even  while  they  have  failed  to  establish  conviction. 

In  the  year  1821,  when  Poe  was  12  years  old,  there  was 
printed  in  Baltimore,  by  Matchett  (evidently  the  same 
Matchett  who,  in  1829,  published  Poe's  Al  Aaraaf,  Tam 
erlane  and  Other  Poems),  a  collection  of  prose  and  verse, 
entitled  "Miscellaneous  Selections,"  edited  by  Elizabeth 
Chase.  It  has  been  alleged  that  several  of  these  poems 
were  written  by  Poe  because  of  the  fact  that  they  were 
signed  "Edgar."  Poe  is  known  to  have  written  poems  at  a 
most  immature  age,  and  it  has  been  asserted  that  Allan 
at  one  time  contemplated  printing  them.  To  associate 
these  poems  with  Edgar  Poe  was  an  inspiration  of  some 
booksellers'  cataloguer.  No  possible  relation  between  this 
book  and  Poe,  other  than  the  name,  has  been  established. 
Baltimore  at  this  time  was  somewhat  populous,  and 
possibly  contained  other  Edgars.  Whether  or  not  it  was 


ir     § 

itmi 

.ISSE?-*  - 
*l}ff"  § 

a,  2    =r^ 


5 


416      POE:  A  BIBLIOGRAPHIC  STUDY 

Edgar  Poe  who  wrote  these  poems  the  item  has  proved  a 
boon  to  book-auctioneers.  It  is  possibly  unique,  and  it  has 
been  sold  and  resold  so  frequently  that  its  history  reminds 
one  of  the  story  of  Daniel  Boone  and  his  coon-skin. 
Whether  it  be  possible  to  trace,  in  a  boy  of  ten  or  twelve, 
the  germ  of  later  accomplishment,  I  cannot  say.  A  repro 
duction  may  aid  others  to  solve  this  question. 

Although  Poe  was  necessarily  in  his  nonage,  not  yet 
having  reached  the  age  of  ten,  it  is  not  right  to  attribute 
such  poems  to  him,  nor  that  he  should  be  held  responsible 
for  their  authorship. 

Another  book,  persistently  advertised  as  having  been 
written  by  Poe,  is  a  satire  by  an  anonymous  author  sign 
ing  himself  "Lavante."  It  would  not  require  more  serious 
consideration  than  has  been  given  other  alleged  Poe  com 
positions  had  not  Harrison  given  it  semi-recognition  by 
mentioning  it  as  a  possible  Poe  production  and  approv 
ingly  quoting  this  critical  passage:  "The  fact  of  Poe's 
authorship  was  pretty  clearly  shown  a  few  years  ago  by  an 
enterprising  gentleman,  hiding  himself  behind  the  nom  de 
plume  of  'Geoffrey  Quarles,'  who  unearthed  the  original 
Philadelphia  edition,  in  some  out  of  the  way  place,  and 
carefully  edited  a  reprint." 

This  item  is  entitled : 

THE  POETS  AND  POETRY  OF  AMERICA.  A  Satire  by  "La- 
vante,"  reprinted  from  the  original,  Published  in  Phil 
adelphia  in  1847.  With  an  introductory  argument  by 
Geoffrey  Quarles,  to  show  that  it  was  written  by  Edgar 
Allan  Poe.  New  York:  Benjamin  &  Bell.  1887. 

It  is  strange  that  any  one,  after  reading  the  introductory 
stanzas,  and  understanding  the  personal  relations  that  for 
years  had  existed  between  Poe  and  Griswold,  by  the  wild 
est  flight  of  imagination  could  have  attributed  this 


POE:  A  BIBLIOGRAPHIC  STUDY      417 

"satire"  to  Poe.  Nothing,  either  in  versification  or  rhyth 
mical  effect,  reminds  me  of  anything  that  Poe  published, 
and  I  am  not  willing  to  believe  that  it  was  done  in  one  of 
those  periods  when  it  is  known  that  he  was  irresponsible. 
A  foot-note  to  this  volume  reproduces  a  note  found  in  the 
original :  "It  is  in  the  invaluable  collection  of  Griswold  that 
I  have  found  the  plot  and  the  groundwork  of  the  Tale." 
This  note  would  have  been  written  only  by  some  admirer 
of  Griswold.  Assuredly  Poe  could  not  be  so  classed. 

Judged  by  this  standard,  and  knowing  the  estimation  in 
which  Griswold  was  held,  one  naturally  would  assume  that 
it  was  either  Griswold  himself  who  wrote  these  verses,  or 
that  it  was  the  work  of  "Harry  Franco,"  or  some  other 
Griswold  satellite.  Various  writers  are  discussed,  but  the 
serio-comic  conceptions  of  this  mock-heroic  poem  bear  no 
relation  to  any  existing  work — possibly  excepting  the 
"Fable  for  Critics."  It  is  not  to  be  presumed  that  Lowell 
would  have  written  two  such  poems. 

The  following  passages  are  selected  as  illustrative  of 
this  poem: 

Clime  of  the  brave !  entire  from  sea  to  sea ! 
Vain  is  thy  boast  that  thou  art  blest  and  free ! 
Oh  servile  slaves  to  easten  rules  and  rhyme, 
Almost  from  Milton's  blank  to  Chaucer's  chime ! 
Thy  own  proud  bards  behold !  a  motley  band 
To  lead  the  music  of  their  native  land. 
Immortal  GRISWOLD  thine  the  deathless  name 
Shall  bear  the  palm  of  more  than  mortal  fame. 
For  thine  the  lofty  boast  at  once  to  save 
The  humble 'bard  perchance  from  hapless  grave, 
Weave  with  his  crown  thy  fadeless  laurel  bays, 
And  with  thy  nursling  gain  undying  praise. 
Yea,  thine  alone  to  search  o'er  Delphian  height 
That  which  shall  give  to  gods  and  men  delight; 
At  once  to  snatch  from  each  lone  wandering  muse 
All  which  on  earth  could  profit  or  amuse, 
Then  rise  and  soar  o'er  loftier  peaks  away, 
And  bask  in  Phoebus'  pure  effulgent  ray ! 
Blest  be  thy  name !  nor  grief  thy  pleasure  mar, 
Nor  fade  thy  life  but  with  the  morning  star ! 


418      POE:  A  BIBLIOGRAPHIC  STUDY 

Awake  satiric  muse!  awake  in  might 

To  strike  for  poesy's  insulted  right! 

The  night  was  up,  when  all  serene  and  glad 

Each  tuneful  was  for  the  banquet  clad, 

While  Griswold's  self,  like  Jeffrey  on  his  throne, 

Was  raised  sublime,  and  to  a  god  was  blown. 

No  mortal  sign  to  mar  that  awful  face 

Where  still  appear  the  hues  of  wrath  or  grace; 

All  care,  in  calm  composure  sunk  to  rest, 

A  gracious  smile  betrays  him  greatly  blest, 

While  trembling  bards  in  eager  strife  appear 

That  nod  to  gain,  the  end  of  hope  and  fear. 
***** 

First  comes  great  WILLIS  trembling  to  his  heels, 

Invokes  the  god,  and  for  his  country  feels. 
***** 

Approaching  next  with  incense  in  each  hand, 
Proud  DOANE  and  DANA  take  their  reverent  stand ; 
One  famed  for  moral,  one  for  ghostly  song, 

While  one  might  pray  to  help  the  tune  along. 
***** 

There  bend  meek  BURLEIGH.  CLIO,  and  SIR  PIKE. 
All  goosquill  armed,  all  friends  to  goose  alike; 
Great  masters  of  the  pen,  who  ne'er  may  flag 

Till  Pegasus  his  tail  shall  cease  to  wag ! 
***** 

Then  spoke  the  god.  'Some  farther  test  I  name, 
The  loftier  name  to  win,  and  life  to  claim; 
Who  highest  soars  when  Phoebus  shines  afar, 
By  light  unhurt,  himself  a  living  star, 
Ascends  Parnassus  and  o'er  tops  its  head, 

Shall  gain  the  prize — a  life  beyond  the  dead !' 
***** 

Then  swiftly  sweep  by  distance  dim  and  vague, 
Almost  unseen  poor  DANA.  DOANE.  and  SPRAGUE. 
Lost  to  thy  sight  and  just  beneath  the  moon, 

Our  day  stars  CLIO.  HOFF.  are  at  their  noon. 
***** 

Once  I  could  bend  or  feign  to  bend  the  knee, 
When  conscience  told  'twas  order's  just  decree, 
I  could  dissemble  scorn,  and  strive  to  seem 
As  calm  as  love  embracing  in  a  dream ; 
No  change  could  drag  resentment  from  its  rest, 
My  brow  was  smooth,  my  heart  was  well  possest, 
What  now  is  done,  not  prudence  would  recall, 
If  pain  ensue  What  sooner  might  befall? 
Should  public  hate  upon  my  pen  react, 
No  matter  this — I  will  not  aught  retract. 

— LAVANTE. 


POE:  A  BIBLIOGRAPHIC  STUDY      419 

While  "Geoffrey Queries, "by  several  pages  of  close  reas 
oning  and  careful  analysis,  has  selected  Poe  as  the  probable 
author  of  these  lines,  it  is  difficult  fully  to  comprehend 
his  reasons,  although  he  clearly  states  the  premise  on  which 
he  based  them.  This  he  summarizes:  "Either  Poe  wrote 
this  satire,  or  somebody  else  still  unknown,  wrote  it  with 
Poe's  experience,  Poe's  doctrines,  Poe's  animus,  and  in  Poe's 
language."  The  selected  passages  make  plain  the  "animus" 
and  the  "language,"  and  to  a  certain  extent  show  "experi 
ence,"  but  there  is  nowhere  evidence  of  Poe's  "doctrines." 
Poe  did  have  some  rather  set  opinions  as  to  what  constituted 
poetry,  and  he  gave  striking  proof  that  he  was  experi 
enced  in  the  use  of  language.  This  heroic  meter,  and  the 
long  (it  extends  to  nearly  1000  lines  of  such  versification 
as  the  extracts  indicate)  Pope-like,  allegorical  allusions, 
are  not  characteristic  of  Poe. 

"Quarles,  "encouraged  by  the  reception  of  the"Lavante" 
reprint,  brought  forth  a  new  study  of  Poe  with  the  title 
"Edgar  Allan  Poe.  The  Man:  The  Master:  The  Martyr." 
As  the  basis  of  this  study,  he  presented  several  sectional 
portraits  of  Poe  which  he  divided  into  halves,  and  sub 
divided  into  quarters,  in  order  to  demonstrate  a  theory 
of  buttons.  So  far  as  the  title  is  concerned,  the  work  is  mis 
leading,  for  it  makes  no  reference  to  Poe,  either  as  Man, 
Master,  or  Martyr,  and,  to  this  extent,  it  is  more  disap 
pointing  than  was  Bewley's  genealogical  study.  Like  its 
prototype,  "Sartor  Resartus,"  it  playfully  deals  with 
appendages  to  our  outer  coverings,  and  with  equal  ob 
scurity  does  "Quarles"  apply  his  discovery.  In  some  way 
he  connects  up  "buttons"  with  the  dismembered  portraits 
of  Poe.  In  the  belief  that  I  am  not  altogether  responsible 
for  my  inability  to  understand  the  existing  relation  on 
which  "Quarles"  so  originally  and  insistently  dwells,  and 
that  others  may  attempt  to  solve  the  conundrum,  I  briefly 
quote  some  of  his  conclusions: 


420      POE:  A  BIBLIOGRAPHIC  STUDY 

The  faces  here  presented  are  offered  as  charts  rather  than  pictures, 
the  intent  being  to  get  at,  if  at  all  possible  by  rule  of  thumb  guided  by 
this  and  that  light  of  the  eye,  the  sum  of  Poe's  contradictory  charac 
teristics,  of  face  and  mind.  One  can  pick  out  a  line  here  and  a  twist 
there  from  the  various  daguerreotypes,  and  construct  a  fairly 
probable  index  of  Poe's  makeup,  but  the  feature  that  bothered  pure 
intellect  was — the  Button.  The  great  button  problem  is  not  to  be  ig 
nored  in  this  field  of  scientific  research.  Some  of  these  absolutely  faith 
ful — because  photographic — portraits  show  us  that  Poe  had  this 
among  his  peculiarities  of  genius,  his  coat  buttons  were  on  the  left 
side.  This  trait  indicated,  of  course,  that  the  gentle  Poe  inherited  the 
feminine  temperament,  as  women  never  wear  the  buttons  right.  In 
analyzing  these  portraits,  as  reproduced  in  book  plates,  it  was  puzzling 
to  be  sure  whether  Poe  parted  his  hair  on  the  right  side  or  the  left.  So 
much  in  character  depends  on  the  turn  of  a  hair.  But  for  fear  of  inspir 
ing  fond  mothers  with  a  new  and  cruel  intellectual  fad  I  might  remark 
in  passing  that  more  men  of  uncommon  abilities  have  their  natural 
parting  on  the  right  side  than  I  have  noticed  among  the  lefts,  in  pro 
portion  to  numbers.  On  the  principle,  doubtless,  by  which  black  sheep 
are  the  distinguished  minority  of  their,  and  often  of  our  flock.  Poe 
had  the  brand  of  wig  that  any  one  could  part  anywhere  and  itself 
everywhere,  as  witness  these  painful  efforts  to  depict  the  hue,  sheen, 
style,  corkscruity  of  each  separate  lock.  .  .  .  Here  came  the  grand 
solution  of  the  differential  button  calculus.  If  in  this  portrait  Poe's 
hair  is  parted  on  the  right  side,  and  in  that  one  on  the  left,  he  evi 
dently  did  it  for  the  gratification  of  his  topheavy  brain  that  bred  and 
fed  on  eerie  fancies,  strange  monstrosities,  grotesques  and  arabesques, 
of  the  unbalanced  mind  that  "laughs  but  smiles  no  more."  This  head 
will  reel  at  the  sight  of  even  a  pencil  drawing  of  Cork,  with  the  bottle 
a  hundred  miles  away.  Happily  all  around,  including  a  biographer  or 
two,  Poe  had  no  more,  at  most,  than  half  a  head  like  this,  the  typical 
poet-head  of  the  common  hydrocephalic  species. 

More  than  twenty  pages  are  given  to  these  and  other 
manifestations  of  his  theory. 

The  second  part  of  this  volume  contains  a  restatement 
and  an  amplification  of  the  proofs  that  Poe  was  "Lavante." 
Probably  the  strongest  argument  that  "Quarles"  adduces 
is  an  original  and  skillful  rendition  of  the  cryptogram  con 
tained  in  the  final  lines  of  Lavante. 

POE'S  CRYPTOGRAMS 

Remembering  his  love  of  mystery  and  genius  for  cryptographic 
writing  it  appeared  possible  that  if  Poe  had  versified  his  lecture,  he 
might  have  hidden  the  authorship  in  the  last  couplet  : 

SHOULD  PUBLIC  HATE  UPON  MY  PEN  REACT. 
NO  MATTER  THIS— I  WILL  NOT  AUGHT  RETRACT. 


POE:  A  BIBLIOGRAPHIC  STUDY      421 

I  find  the  four  following  sentences  are  contained  in  this  couplet : 

EDGAR  ALLAN  POE; 

AMERICAN  POETS  AND  POETRY,  A  SATIRE. 

A  SATIRE,  EVERY  WORD  TRUE;  EDGAR  ALLAN  POE. 

A  TRUE  AND  HONEST  SATIRE.  BY  EDGAR  ALLAN  POE. 

Take  this  for  what  it  is  worth.  Curiously  enough  the  titles  of  the 
two  Satires  reviewed  by  Poe,  The  Quacks  of  Helicon'  and  The 
Vision  of  Rubeta,\can  not  be  got  out  of  this  couplet.  Neither  can  the 
names  of  those  poets  in  the  satire  who  just  possibly  might  be  suspected 
of  its  authorship,  Griswold,  Lowell,  Holmes,  Pike,  Benjamin,  Long 
fellow,  Dawes,  Pinkney,  Willis,  Whittier,  Clarke,  Halleck,  Tucker, 
Hoffman,  Parker. 

Lastly  the  very  first  man  to  be  satirized  by  any  brother  poet,  and 
the  last  one  to  be  omitted  from  a  general  round-up,  would  have  been 
Edgar  Allan  Poe.  The  absence  of  his  name  it  was  that  started  me  on 
this  quest. 


Surely  had '  'Quarles"  devoted  his  attention  to  decipher 
ing  the  Bacon  cryptograms,  he  would  have  ranked  high 
among  the  commentators.  With  equal  facility  and  assur 
ance  he  could  have  demonstrated  that  either  Poe  or  Bacon 
wrote  the  Declaration  of  Independence. 

Another  section  of  this  book  "Quarles"  calls  the  "Phil- 
soophy  of  Composition,"  and  it  serves  as  an  introduction 
to  a  composition  of  his  own  called,  "The  Organ,  A  Fantasie 
in  the  Manner  of  Poes  'Raven  suggested  by  an  avowal  of 
his  Method."  It  bears  out  the  high  promise  that  his  pre 
ceding  analysis  justifies  us  in  expecting. 

There  is  a  fitting  conclusion  to  this  book,  entitled 
"His  Monument,"  which,  to  the  full,  exhibits  the  artistic 
capacity  of  "Quarles,"  first  indicated  by  his  study  and 
dissection  of  photographs.  It  measures  the  reverence  that 
such  a  critic  might  be  expected  to  accord  the  name  of  Poe. 
Surely,  the  whole  fully  justified  the  "Martyr"  suggestion 
in  the  title. 

There  is  evidence  that  at  least  the  spirit  of  "Quarles,"  is 
still  at  large.  Judging  by  circulars  now  being  distributed 
in  an  effort  to  prove  that  Poe  wrote  "English  Notes,  by 


422      POE:  A  BIBLIOGRAPHIC  STUDY 

Quarles  Quickens."  Why  "Quarles,"  or  his  imitators,  wish 
to  shoulder  this  absurdity  on  Poe,  and  why  publishers*  so 
confidently  advertise  this  work  as  a  Poe  production,  can 
only  be  explained  by  the  assumption  that  authority  rests 
on  some  such  inspired  investigator.  Whether  or  not  another 
cryptogram  has  been  found  establishing  the  identity  of  Poe 
as  the  writer,  I  havenot  been  informed.  It  is  time  that  some 
movement  was  started  to  prevent  these  profiteers  from 
fattening  on  the  name  of  Poe.  The  circular  states  that 
$15.00  will  be  demanded  for  this  reprint  of  a  "discovery." 
In  the  words  of  Poe,  "Don't  you  wish  you  could  get  it?" 
The  final  item  worthy  of  mention — and  typographically 
it  is  worthy — is  a  book  issued  by  the  Caxton  Club  of 
Chicago. 

SOME  LETTERS  OF  EDGAR  ALLAN  POE  TO  E.  H.  N.  PATTER 
SON  OF  OQUAWKA,  ILLINOIS.  With  comments  by  Eugene 
Field.  The  Caxton  Club.  1898. 

While  this  is  an  issue  by  a  club  whose  productions  are 
worthy  of  respect,  and  is  edited  by  a  man  whom  all  love, 
it  is  an  unfortunate  reminder  of  Poe  because  its  contents 
again  force  on  us  the  memory  of  those  abnormalities  that 
so  seriously  affected  Poe  during  his  last  years. 

Reference  has  been  made  to  the  fact  that  Poe,  "in  his 
latter  evil  days,"  was  obsessed  with  the  idea  of  founding 
a  journal  "for  the  personal  expression  of  individual  opin 
ions,"  and  that  "The  Stylus"  had  been  selected  as  a  name. 

*NoxE — During  the  last  few  months  numerous  circulars  have  been  received 
advising  me  of  the  publication  of  a  newly  discovered  work  by  Poe.  It  is  called 
'English  Notes,  Intended  for  very  Extensive  Circulation:  By  Quarles  Quickens.' 
For  some  reason  this  has  been  very  largely  advertised  by  the  publishers,  and 
occasionally,  friends  have  added  to  the  liberal  supply  of  circulars  already  in  my 
possession.  I  could  ignore  the  publishers  but  I  must  acknowledge  the  courtesy  of 
my  friends.  For  this  reason  I  take  this  unique,  and  possibly  original,  method  of 
making  my  acknowledgments.  I  would  warn  them,  further,  not  to  afflict  me,  during 
the  approaching  holidays,  with  the  consummation  of  this  discovery.  I  further 
advise  them  to  avoid  this  item  as  they  would  a  'clock-work'  package.  It  may 
prove  a  Chelsea,  but  it  appears  to  me  that  its  tick  resembles  far  more  that  of  an 
Ingersoll. 


POE:  A  BIBLIOGRAPHIC  STUDY      423 

It  is  evident  that  this  decision  of  Poe  must  have  been 
widely  advertised,  for  a  young  man  named  Patterson, 
living  in  Oquawka,  Illinois,  entered  into  correspondence 
with  him,  and  proposed  to  finance  the  projected  journal. 
Ordinarily  judged,  it  would  seem  that  Poe,  at  this  time  at 
the  zenith  of  his  literary  achievement,  would  not  have  been 
willing  to  cooperate  in  the  establishment  and  conduct  of 
an  essentially  literary  and  critical  magazine  in  a  remote 
and  far  distant  village  that  was  difficult  of  access  and  that 
possessed  the  mirth-compelling  name  of  Oquawka.  It 
consisted  of  "two  warehouses,  one  store,  one  grocery,  two 
taverns,  and  several  dwelling  houses."  In  spite  of  this 
isolation  and  these  poverty-begotten  surroundings,  Poe 
accepted  this  offer,  and  business  arrangements  were  made. 

That  Poe  saw  nothing  ridiculous  either  in  the  location 
or  the  name  is  somewhat  surprising.  It  is  possible  that  such 
a  name  does  not  impress  all  alike.  I  suppose  there  are  many 
excellent  people  living  in  Oshkosh,  and  I  know  a  worthy 
and  eminently  respectable  family  in  Kalamazoo.  I  remem 
ber,  too,  once  upon  a  time,  passing  through  Keokuk  and 
observing  with  amazement  that  this  name  was  publicly 
announced  by  a  sign  of  blazing  letters.  And  I  am  certain 
that  somewhere  Podunk  has  a  real  existence. 

One  can  only  regret  that  Field  should  have  exploited 
this  incident  in  a  manner  that  reflects  on  Poe's  mental 
state,  or  that  tends  to  cast  ridicule  on  him,  and  that,  in 
this,  the  Caxton  Club  should  have  abetted  him. 

While  a  few  other  books  dealing  with  special  phases  of 
Poe's  life  have  been  published,  their  contents  do  not  jus 
tify  a  full  review.  No  new  facts  have  been  added  to  those 
assembled  in  Woodberry's  life  of  Poe,  nor  is  it  probable 
that  any  new  discoveries  will  be  made ;  rather,  it  is  pos 
sible  that  a  critical  biographer  will  omit  certain  of  the 
doubtful  passages  relating  to  Poe's  early  life  which  Wood- 
berry  claims  to  have  cleared  up. 


424      POE:  A  BIBLIOGRAPHIC  STUDY 

Special  magazine  articles  dealing  with  psychological 
problems  based  on  Poe's  morbid  heredity,  or  containing 
assumptions  as  to  Poe's  use  of  alcohol  and  drugs,  with 
deductions  as  to  their  effect  on  Poe's  life  and  the  things 
he  wrote,  are  of  frequent  appearance.  As  a  rule  they  are 
the  result  of  misinformation  or  they  are  contributed  by 
those  who  possess  no  special  knowledge  of  either  normal 
or  morbid  mental  processes.  At  best  this  knowledge  is 
limited;  in  venturing  any  opinion  it  should  be  given  with 
the  full  understanding  of  the  difficulties  that  confront  us 
in  the  study  even  of  normal  psychology. 

The  ill  understood  facts  of  brain  anatomy  and  the  in 
comprehensible  phenomenon  of  brain  functioning  by  which 
perceptions  of  external  objects  are  produced  because  of 
afferent  stimuli  are  subjects  that,  in  spite  of  the  many 
hypothesis  advanced,  remain  undetermined.  The  more 
recondite  study  of  brain  cells  in  relation  to  memory  and 
to  that  quality  they  possess  which  enables  them  to  initiate 
and  formulate  mental  processes,  is  still  more  unexplain- 
able  and  mysterious.  Secretion  of  thought  remains  our 
most  interesting  problem.  For  these  reasons  I  have  made 
no  attempt  to  explain  the  unknowable.  This  study  is 
based  entirely  on  a  long  experience  with  that  special  form 
of  neurosis  which  obsessed  Poe  and  which  is  a  part  of  the 
empirical  knowledge  possessed  by  all  psychiatrists. 


B      I 


rnm-A-t-      . 


YC   15977 


'42724 


if*  "  — 

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1; : 


UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA  LIBRAKY 


